So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God, who chose you, is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
The very fact that Peter admonished these believers not to live their lives as they did before salvation shows that change isn’t automatic in the Christian life. People can be saved and yet not change outwardly if they don’t renew their minds through the truths of God’s Word.
The imminent return of Christ should motivate us to live for Him. This means preparing our minds to be mentally alert, exercising self-control through discipline, and grounding yourself in your hope and trust in Jesus Christ. When self-control and discipline are typically mentioned by Peter, Paul, James, or any of the other writers in the Bible, it’s usually talking about one’s need to control fleshly desires through discipline and obedience to God’s word.
My simple mind understands the concept of discipline best as it relates to sports, physical fitness, and exercise. The endeavor of developing one’s athletic ability typically requires bettering one’s health and physical conditioning. And along with that comes the development of worthy character traits that are just as or more important than the actual athletic and conditioning results themselves.
Many of the athletes I know have been able to develop a level of commitment and discipline that may have only been achievable because of the love for their sport. Simply put, the amount of enjoyment they received from exercising while playing a game developed characteristics that they may not have acquired elsewhere.
Life goes on after the game is over; however, the developed skills, discipline, and commitment remain. Success in marriage or business can often be attributed to the discipline and level of commitment one developed while doing what they love. Along the way, relationships were formed: coaches or trainers became mentors, friends or teammates were encouragers, and blessings were received.
You won’t find a person who doesn’t agree that our fallen world is in desperate need of discipline. And from a purely physical fitness and body composition perspective, we don’t need to look very far to realize that most Americans would create more value renovating themselves instead of their homes.
Here’s the rub: If a person doesn’t have the discipline to build a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, which is what God created us to do… Then it isn’t likely that they would have the discipline to put down the pastry and respond to the mirror.
In this world, a realization of the need for discipline is necessary—and honoring to God.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)
By no means am I suggesting that what’s important in a Christian’s life is to have a six-pack or to look like a supermodel. Rather, Paul tells us in the scriptures above to be a living and holy sacrifice… Let God transform you into a new person, the kind He will find acceptable.
In Genesis we learned that God found Abel’s offer of meat to be more acceptable than Cain’s offering of roots from the field. Now, I know I was made in God’s image, so I assume that He, like I, would much rather have a slightly marbled, lean, juicy cut of meat rather than a fat-laden backstrap.
We all make sacrifices every day. They are nothing like the sacrifice Jesus made for us, but they are still sacrifices. You are more important to God’s plan than you probably think. Always remember that God is looking down on you, but everybody else is looking up… God created you to be a ladder to Heaven, not an obstacle.
What are you offering God? Strength or weakness? Muscle or fat? Discipline or indifference?
We all need to eat our vegetables, but let’s not be one… Another ribeye, please!
“I tell you the Truth”
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