Discipline = Success

Discipline

“God may allow His servant to succeed when He has disciplined him to a point where he does not need to succeed to be happy. The man who is elated by success and is cast down by failure is still a carnal man. At best his fruit will have a worm in it.” A.W. Tozer

Success

Defining yourself by success in sports, academic achievement, job, salary, rank, position, income, wealth, the car you drive, your home, etc, is a recipe for failure and disappointment. If you are elated by “success” and “destroyed” by failure, your life will be a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. You will be tossed around like a ship in a storm.

Ship in Safe Harbor

However, when you focus on a relationship with Jesus Christ and allow each success and failure to grow closer to Him, you will be strong and courageous regardless of temporary success or failure. You will have peace, joy, and strength in the good times and bad times. You will be like a ship docked in a safe harbor that confidently faces life’s storms. Like muscle tissue, discipline strengthens when exercised. Athletes, Soldiers, tradesmen, and musicians build “muscle memory” as they practice and perform the same tasks over and over again. They are disciplined in mastering the fundamentals. Instant success is absolutely rare and it is always short lived. Longterm success is possible only with discipline and it is developed one action, one decision, one simple task at at time, over and over again.

Joy

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4