We must face the fact that many today are notoriously careless in their living. This attitude finds its way into the church. We have liberty, we have money, we live in comparative luxury. As a result, discipline practically has disappeared. What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician’s instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not “disciplined”? 

–       A.W. Tozer, Men Who Met God.

1 Corinthians 9:27
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

 Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of His reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

I’m still being corrected by Him. How about you?

Give it some thought.

Gary

No man is fit to command another who cannot command himself. 

Wm. Penn

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Proverbs 25:28

A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls.

James 1:19–20

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 

Leaders are needed, so develop self-control.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Percentage of American’s who own running shoes but don’t run: 87% 

–       Charis Conn, Ed., What Counts: The Complete Harper’s Index.

How many Christians are in a similar position? Does the Bible address it? Glad you asked.

1 Corinthians 9:24 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Isaiah 40:31 

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

You have the shoes, so all you need now is to run.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Someone once asked Paul Harvey, the journalist and radio commentator, to reveal the secret of his success. “I get up when I fall down,” said Harvey. 

–       Bits & Pieces, March 3, 1994, p. 16.

Isaiah 43:18-19 

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Galatians 5:1 

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

It’s never too late to start over. The new birth is the greatest example of this truth.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship, and the whole world for my mission field. 

– John Wesley

The Apostle Paul felt the same way as Wesley. Do you?

Acts 20:28 

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.

Ephesians 2:20-22 

Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Give it some consideration.

Gary

If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.

Shocking statement, yet many have trouble explaining the simplicity of the Gospel.

2 Corinthians 1:12 

For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

Psalm 116:6 

The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, He saved me.

We’re sinners who needed a Savior. Our Lord laid down His life to the end. What part of that could we not understand or explain to others?

Give it some thought and don’t complicate it.

Gary

If everywhere you go, there is a problem, then guess what?

Titus 3:10 

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,

Proverbs 22:24

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man.

If you find yourself identifying with the wrathful man, remember the One who can break that bondage to anger you find yourself in.  Give it some thought.

Gary