1 Corinthians 9:27

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

We should all hope to surround ourselves with those that hold us accountable for what we say and do, to make sure that we are growing as Christians. Those people are the final judges of our character – the people that see how our personality is reflected in our words and actions. Our first judge is God, who knows what we will do before it’s premeditated (even if only in the heat of the moment). Our second judge, however, is ourselves. After God, we should be our greatest critic. Discipline is what keeps us in line and allows us to grow. In this regard, surrounding ourselves with the right people is only our plan B. We should hold ourselves accountable before anyone needs to.

It’s worth noting that my ESV translation of this verse is pretty tame compared to most other versions of the Bible, including the Greek translation which reads more along the lines of: “I pummel my body and make it a slave.” Harsh. It doesn’t really surprise me though. We know Paul was an extremely wise man, so it follows that he was a bigger judge of Paul than almost anyone he had ever known, second only to Christ. He knew that his flesh was to be kept under control and made a slave, “lest” he fall victim to the sin that he preached against.

Don’t get it twisted, though. We can’t discipline ourselves into being perfect. No matter how firm a foundation we build for ourselves, sin will always find a way to slip through the cracks. We’re sinners – that’s kind of the point. But we handle it, and we keep moving. When we notice what parts of ourselves are weak, we can ask God for forgiveness and work on strengthening them. As are the perks of having a gracious God. After we’ve made the decision to work on our weaknesses, there is no need to be held up on them. Act – don’t dwell.

Spiritual warfare happens all around us, but the strongest enemy that we fight spiritually is within ourselves. One of the strongest weapons we have to fight it is discipline. Discipline, discipline, discipline. Discipline your mind, discipline your body, discipline your eyes, discipline your time. Our first line of defense should be built long before the enemy attacks.

Popular posts from this blog

Proverbs 1:1-7 – Chasing the Why

 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7 (ESV) True wisdom comes from following the Lord's instruction, not from trying to co-create a plan with Him. Proverbs is a collection of writings meant to act as an instruction to living faithfully for Jewish youth at the time. While Solomon is believed to have been the primary author of these, it's likely that they were meant to be directed towards his own son Rehoboam (1:8). Regardless of whether they were written directly to him or if they had a more broad purpose to educate young men as a whole, what we know for sure is that they provide a strong foundation for living a life filled with wisdom, authored by the wisest man that only lived once. I've been doing a lot of searching for wisdom, because I think I really struggle with life not being a simple equation. I do good, I receive good. I give love, I receive love. I give effort, I receive effort. That...
Read more

Seasons

I've been a cynic when it comes to New Year's for a while. I don't like when people make "resolutions" when they don't have the discipline to actually follow through with improving, and so I've started to see New Year’s almost as a lazy man's holiday over the years. Which is admittedly pretty unfair, and judgmental. Lately, however, I started viewing this time of year in a different light. Instead of using it to look forward to the New Year, on what I can be doing differently, I've started to use it as a time to reflect on what the Old Year has been, and how God's provided during it. Recently, as the Christ Covenant young adults' ministry ended services for the year, the CCYA pastor Thomas Nelson mentioned a feast that's referenced in the Gospels, called the Feast of Booths. It was a feast that God initially commanded the Israelites to celebrate in Leviticus 23, and He provided little detail in terms of how He wanted them to celebrate ...
Read more

Colossians 3:1-4 – Losing Ourselves

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV) Our personal pursuits are only as valid as who they're really in pursuit of. Revisiting this one in the spirit of a new understanding. It gets really easy to fall into the habit of living our lives for ourselves, even if under the pretense that we're "living for ourselves, for Christ." There's no such thing. I become angry with God when He takes away something from me that brings me happiness, which is evidence that I lost sight of what I'm after. What's our end goal here? Let's use prosperity gospel as an example to highlight how we answer that question often times. Practicing th...
Read more