Pastor Mark's Blog
PRACTICING DISCIPLINE
-Mark Schmechel
One of the things that have been on my mind and heart lately is the unpopular word, discipline. If I were completely honest, I would tell you that I initially don’t get too excited about that word. It sounds boring, unnatural, restricting. Just thinking about the word causes me to think about how my freedom would be limited if I were to exercise more discipline. To be more disciplined seems to mean I will be more stifled. Actually, the opposite is true.
Isn’t it interesting that the word disciple is closely related to the word discipline? Disciples of Jesus are people who demonstrate a great deal of discipline. There’s no other way to say it friends, serious disciples live disciplined lives.
Let’s take sleep for example. Are you disciplined in how much sleep you get each night? Research has shown:
1. Insufficient sleep appears to tip hunger hormones out of whack. Leptin, which suppresses appetite, is lowered; and ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, gets a boost.
2. You're more apt to make bad food choices that would entail a diet higher in cholesterol, protein, total fat and total saturated fat. Women were especially affected.
3. Those getting five or fewer hours of sleep each night were 2.5 times more likely to be diabetic.
4. Women who sleep five or fewer hours per night were 45 percent more likely to have heart attacks.
5. Blood pressure may increase. Obesity plays a role here, so losing weight can ease this.
6. Auto accidents rise. Nearly 20 percent of serious car-crash injuries involve a sleepy driver, and that's independent of alcohol use.
7. Adults, adolescents and middle schoolers report more symptoms of depression and lower self esteem.
8. More behavior problems are seen in kids who are plagued by lack of sleep.
9. There is approximately a 15 percent greater risk of dying for those who get five hours or less of sleep per night. [news.yahoo.com]
And that’s just in the area of sleep!
I love what the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:27, NLT)
What area of your life is the Lord calling you to a higher level of discipline? Is it what you see with your eyes? What you say with your mouth? What you do with your money? How you spend your time? Becoming people of greater discipline will help us become the disciples Christ desires for us to be.