“At the time, DISCIPLINE isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. LATER, OF COURSE, IT PAYS OFF BIG-TIME, for it’s the WELL-TRAINED who find themselves MATURE in their RELATIONSHIP with God.” – Hebrews 12:11 Message Bible.
“Those whom I [DEARLY and TENDERLY] LOVE, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I DISCIPLINE and INSTRUCT them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].” – Revelation 3:19 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition.
“I CORRECT and DISCIPLINE EVERYONE I LOVE. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.” – Revelation 3:19 New Living Translation.
Without any medical explanation or warning, Nick was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, without arms and legs. Three sonograms failed to reveal complications. And yet, the Vujicic family was destined to cope with both the challenge and blessing of raising a son who refused to allow his physical condition to limit his lifestyle.
The early days were difficult. Throughout his childhood, Nick not only dealt with the typical challenges of school and adolescence, but he also struggled with depression and loneliness. Nick constantly wondered why he was different than all the other kids. He questioned the purpose of life, or if he even had a purpose. According to Nick, the victory over his struggles, as well as his strength and passion for life today, can be credited to his faith in God. His family, friends, and the many people he encountered along the journey inspired him to carry on.
Nick has traveled around the world since he was 19. He has shared his story with millions, sometimes in stadiums filled, speaking to a range of diverse groups such as students, teachers, young people, business professionals and church congregations of all sizes. Today this dynamic evangelist, Nicholas Vujicic has accomplished more than most people achieve in a lifetime. He’s an author, musician, actor, and his hobbies include fishing, painting, and swimming.
Nick, like many people born without limbs, could have given up feeling miserable and depressed all through his life. “There was one thing more burdensome than having a child without limbs,” Nick shared in a viral Ted Talk. “What is it? A child without limbs who gives up.” Through his FAITH IN GOD and SELF-DISCIPLINE, Nick has been able to rewrite his own story and become a CEO [Chief Encouragement Officer] to millions of lives all around the world today!
American 33rd President, Harry S. Truman said, “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves…SELF-DISCIPLINE with all of them came first.” But what is SELF-DISCIPLINE? Author Gary Ryan Blair defined SELF-DISCIPLINE as “An act of cultivation. It requires you to connect today’s actions to tomorrow’s results. There’s a season for sowing and a season for reaping. SELF-DISCIPLINE helps you know which is which.”
American Football Coach, Bum Phillips said, “The ONLY DISCIPLINE that LASTS is SELF-DISCIPLINE.” And it is Self-discipline that separates the winners and the losers. Second Timothy 1:7 NLT says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of POWER, LOVE, and SELF-DISCIPLINE.” To make consistently good decisions, to take the right action when needed, and to refrain from the wrong actions requires CHARACTER and SELF-DISCIPLINE.
A man or a woman without decision of character belongs to whatever can make a captive of him or her and to be without an INNER LIFE [SELF-DISCIPLINE] is what makes people a slave to their surroundings.
DISCIPLINE PAY GREAT DIVIDENDS! Dividends are a sum of money paid regularly by a company to its shareholders out of its profits. It is a distribution of corporate earnings to eligible shareholders. The dividend yield is the dividend per share and expressed as a percentage of a company’s share price. Dividends are often distributed quarterly and may be paid out in cash or in the form of reinvestment in additional stock.
DISCIPLINE does not yield its DIVIDENDS immediately, but it does eventually! DISCIPLINE demands delayed gratification before it delivers its reward which many are not willing to accept in this fast-paced world. It is also wrongly perceived as a punishment by many but Author, Poet, and Philosopher, Noah Benshea think differently! He observed that “Discipline in its highest notion is not punishment or self-punishment. It is rather something seminal to the self. It is our foundation. It is our architecture. It gives us structure. It allows us to steer our energies and pull our wagon.” DISCIPLINE is BENEFICIAL because it gives us STRUCTURE and FOUNDATION!
When it comes to DISCIPLINE, there are four truths: [1]. Discipline comes with a price tag. [2]. Discipline turns talent to greatness. [3]. Discipline focusses on choices, not conditions. [4]. Discipline does not bow down to feelings. We will continue next week`s teaching by expounding on these four truths about DISCIPLINE and how we can leverage DISCIPLINE for a much more profitable living than what we all have now!
