SUMMARY: The Disciplined Life The Mark of Christian Maturity

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Book Summary:The Disciplined Life The Mark of Christian Maturity By Richard S. Taylor
by Paul Monteith




5 Purposes

• Worship
• Fellowship
Discipleship
• Ministry
• Evangelism
Jesus pleased "not himself." The apostle Paul "kept his body under" control. And Moses refused the pleasures of Pharaoh's court. Self-discipline is what we all need, and it can make all the difference between success and failure spiritually. Our willingness to regulate our own lives is a sign of maturity, and it is necessary if we are to take up our cross and be like Christ. Christian discipline is not about abstinence but rather about being temperate in all things so that we can be more useful to God. It is an aid in our pursuit of holiness, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, discipline will help us become the people God meant us to be.


Personal Comment
What I Learned From this Book:
Discipline is not about denying ourselves for the sake of denying ourselves; discipline is about readying ourselves for service and usefulness to God.




The Place Of Discipline In Christian Living

The Key To Power
Whatever we do in life, such as learning a new skill or acquiring further education, the difference between mediocrity and excellence in our endeavor is discipline. Most people have the necessary talents to achieve their goals yet fail not for lack of ability but for being unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices.

The author claims that the difference between the disciplined and undisciplined person is habit, and "habit is character."

Discipline of the mind is important. Such a person is able to concentrate on essentials, use his abilities more effectively, and face life and its disappointments with calm and purpose. The race belongs to the disciplined.

An anecdote about a woman, whose life of habitual discipline helped her through a time of sickness, can be found on page 24.

An anecdote about a famous baritone who succeeded because he was willing to make the necessary sacrifices, page 27.

The Mark Of Maturity
Self-discipline is the ability to control our conduct, and it helps to block personal impulses, peer pressure, and social customs from influencing our conduct.

A person exercising self-discipline is better able to control his appetites, emotions, moods, and tongue. This life of balance and grace is achieved not through drastic actions but by consistent daily discipline over the regular tasks that make up our everyday lives. Such a person is able to choose between what is important and what is not from among the many possibilities and activities pressing for his attention.

Discipline for Christians means discipleship. Following Jesus means self-denial and carrying one's cross. The apostle Paul tells us to "put to death the old man," with its appetites if we are to grow spiritually. Jesus tells us to "pluck out" anything that prevents us from obeying God. This plucking out requires discipline and courage.

"I have had a cross to bear in my life, and it has made me the man that I am," said Dr. F. B. Meyer.

The Perils Of Discipline
Discipline has value; it gives a person confidence, strength and control. This mastery over our lives may lead us to believe that discipline is the ultimate value, and instead of it being our servant discipline becomes our savior.

For the Christian such thinking is deadly. Self-mastery may lead to feelings of self-satisfaction. We may come to believe we are superior to others. We may become exacting and harsh in our relationships. And we may deny ourselves the joys and experiences of life that God intended us to enjoy.

A right relationship with God is the greatest treasure of all, not discipline, states the author. Discipline is only a tool to help us more fully realize the supreme values of Christ's kingdom. The goal of discipline must be usefulness. People are important, and the objective of self-discipline must be in helping people.

The hallmark of Christian discipline is not abstinence, nor slavish bondage to habit, or strictness with others, but temperance in all things. Christians discipline and dedicate themselves to God for service.

Discipline and Holiness
Discipline is not holiness. One can live a disciplined life and not think about God at all, whereas God is ever in the thoughts of a Christian pursing holiness.

Holiness defines one's relationship with God.

Discipline is an aid that will help maintain holiness but it cannot create a clean heart. It is not the path to purity, and it is no substitute for the grace of God.

Christians living in God's grace will find themselves motivated by the Holy Spirit to live purposely and orderly. With humility they will adjust their lives, learning how to deny the self and bring under tribute their intellect, emotions and talents. Such discipline leads us to surrender and this glorifies God not self.

God's grace also gives us the power to sustain discipline; it helps us to continue to deny self when our very nature cries out for an easier path. Holy living is devoted living, and discipline helps us subject the physical to the spiritual.

The Case For Imposed Discipline
A lack of restraints does not produce better citizens. Undisciplined children become undisciplined adults. Rigid discipline does not produce healthy people either. There must be a balance between liberty and law.

Balanced discipline whether imposed by others or proscribed by self will produce qualities such as self-reliance, self-control and dependability.

Parental discipline administered lovingly should develop clear ideas of justice and fair play, and a regard for standards and laws. Christians living a disciplined life will express a love for people and God, have a sense of social responsibility, exhibit a high regard for human life and decency, and express warmth, loyalty and sacrifice. These are character traits of mature and useful people.

A disciplined life adapts, and when obstacles appear it patiently finds a way around, controlling the feelings of frustration, seeking to bring forth beauty rather than ugliness. “Self-control keeps life from being a nightmare.”

The Path to Discipline in Christian Living

How To Become A Disciplined Person
Discipline is not arrived at easily or quickly. Yet those who are willing to subordinate passions, manage their talents, and refashion their character will discover that they become the people they were meant to be.

For the Christian, prayer is an important part of discipline. On our own we can attain self-control and strength through self-regulation. But it will be of little value if God is not at the center of our lives because we want to be God-made not self-made people.

Our desire to be disciplined people should be for the glory of God not self. The work of God needs people who have surrendered their lives to Him. Jesus himself said that those who follow Him must deny themselves, and take up their cross. Discipleship is a life of self-denial and cross bearing. Christians must desire the will of God more than the acquisition of material things, or for providing for the comfort of their own wants and needs.

Our surrender to God must be complete and through discipline we must be dead to the self and the world. Nothing must hinder our service, not nice homes in pleasant neighborhoods, not fine furnishings, and not family. Our possessions are not the measure of our lives. Our goal is not happiness but to become like Christ.

The author suggests imposing some measure of abstinence in our lives to avoid softness if we live in times of ease and comfort, or if God has prospered us. "If life does not buffet us, then we must buffet ourselves."

Fun is not our goal in life. Play should be restorative not an endless pursuit. Pleasures should be enjoyed gratefully.

For the Christian life is challenging. Jesus pleased "not himself." If we are His disciples we will find our meaning and purpose in Him, not in ourselves, or the things of this world. Through discipline we will be ready for a life of sacrifice and service.

The final chapter of the book Questions For Further Discussion presents a series of questions about discipline based on each chapter.