I preach this to myself and my children on a daily basis “Do your have to’s before you do your want to’s”. Our fast paced, over-stimulated, screen based world pulls and sometimes demands our attention. We must stop, take account, and realize that we are not actors in someone else’s play or pawns to be moved and used without regard.
Self-discipline is the starting point that leads to greatness. Funny thing is, you can have it one day and not the next, it’s more like a relationship than a product. Maintaining a friendship with self-discipline is vital to your well being. I love this verse of scripture in Proverbs 25:28.
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. Prov. 25:28
I had a great discussion with my brother yesterday about self-discipline, we are very grateful to have had parents that pounded this principle in us from an early age. We were naming examples of some guys who were giants in their fields and thinking about the level of discipline it would take to create Microsoft or Wal-Mart or Amazon. Then our conversation turned, as it often does, to Jesus. Can you imagine the level of self-discipline it took Jesus to understand his infinite power, yet bow his head and suffer all the way to death?
- It takes discipline to seize opportunities.
- It takes discipline to turn off the TV and talk to your kids.
- It takes discipline to invest your money.
- It takes discipline to do the next right thing.
- It takes discipline.
Keep pressing toward the mark!
-Tommy