Investigating the Bible: The value of discipline

By DAVID CARLSON PASTOR

In the Reader’s Digest, Robert Moore described a grueling day of boot camp for his son, a ten-mile hike and a challenging obstacle course. As his son lay exhausted in bed, he heard another recruit pray aloud: “‘Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, thank you Lord.’ There was a brief pause and then several voices said in unison, ‘Amen’!” Discipline, whether to build a stronger body or to overcome flaws in character, is hard. The Bible places a high value on discipline.

Discipline for success. “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.” (Proverbs 6:6, English Standard Version used throughout). Some early churches shared lodging and meals. The new church in one city attracted some lazy members. The apostle Paul had a simple solution: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Rick Ankiel entered major league baseball as a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. He suffered major injuries. When he returned, he lost pitching control. John Green, in his book, “The Anthropocene Reviewed,” explained that Ankiel decided at age twenty-six he would play outfield. That switch doesn’t happen in professional baseball. Babe Ruth was the only player to successfully change from pitching to fielding. Ankiel started in the minors, working hard to be a hitter. Seven years after he left the majors, the Cardinals brought him back. When he retired in 2013, he became the only professional baseball player, like Ruth, to win ten games as a pitcher and to hit over fifty home runs.

Discipline for character. The author of Hebrews recognized the hardships endured at the hands of those who did not believe. “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:3).

The elderly violin maker took his apprentice into the forest to find wood. They walked past towering trees and kept going. “Why not one of these trees?” asked the youth. “No,” said the violin maker. They climbed high on a mountain, where trees were few and bent by their struggle. “These trees give us the wood we need. They have weathered storms and high winds. They will provide strong, tough wood – the kind that gives sweet music.”

Discipline for joy. The discipline in a believer’s life ends in joy. The author of Hebrews wrote, “… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

In Paris, 1924, at the eighth Olympic Games, Scottish athlete Eric Liddell was the clear favorite to win the 100-meter race. In her biography on Liddell, Catherine Swift explained that a challenging circumstance intervened. Qualifying heats for the 100-meter race were on a Sunday. Liddell, the son of missionaries and a devout Christian, decided that it would dishonor God to run on Sunday. Public criticism was strong. However, the British team masseur respected his stand and gave Liddell a folded note. In the 200-meter race, Liddell took third. Then, he qualified for the 400-meter race. In the 400-meter final, the gun pierced the air and Liddell jumped out to a three-meter lead. Everyone knew he couldn’t hold that pace. He was a sprinter, not trained for the longer distance. But somehow, he did. An American started slowly moving up toward Liddell. Liddell astonished the crowd and ran faster. His head back, looking to heaven, he crossed the finish line first and set a new world record. Later, he unfolded the note from the masseur, who had written, “Those who honor me, I will honor.” (1 Samuel 2:30).

David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) lives in Oregon and is a graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.).