Disciplines

Out of love, you discipline yourself.
Out of discipline, you fall in love more.

I had this analogy from God. I love cars. That is why i 'discipline' myself to read up on as much about cars as i can. In essence, i am in training. Out of the training, you fall in love with cars more.

As with athletes, they train out of a love of the sport, and out of the training, they love the sport more.

As with God, we discipline our lives out of a love of God, and out of that discipline, we come to love God more.

At the root of it, it is really love, but at the surface, it is a series of discipline.

Thursday, i disciplined a class, and i said this "I will teach you discipline, if not in the heart at least in the actions". Out of the actions, i pray that the heart will also be moved.

A new start

I was wondering how do the lessons in my life over the few weeks tied in. But today i learnt it all in one session.

First, the last few weeks were solely on faith. On walking in faith, on the truth that Faith was not a feeling but an action lived out according to what God says. It is an active response.

Then slowly i felt that walking in faith was hard, because i could not. I learnt that Life is not about the choices ahead, but the CHOICE ahead, that we can only handle ONE Choice at a time. We look at the past, we are distressed by our track record. We look at the future, and we are discouraged by the distance left. What we do is to choose to put step by step the next stage.

Later God pulled me on a journey of discovering the disciplines of loving Him. That loving God is a discipline, that loving anyone is a discipline. Not just emotions, but an active discipline. We choose to love God totally.

Subsequently, God showed me what Loving Him means, that doing the QT is not for loving Him, but to build a restedness in Him so as to have the faith to walk in. To walk in faith is not possible if we are not rested in Him, for only when we are rested in Him can He enter our lives and us in Him.

Finally God showed me that total picture. That right now i am rebuilding my entire christian life. One based on discipline because i realise His love for me, and i love Him. This disciplines will instead of stressing me out, makes me rest in Him, allowing me to walk out my life in faith. And from that faith, i can wait eagerly for the righteousness that we are all entitled to but so few attain, the righteousness by faith, not by declaration that God is saviour, but the righteousness by faith. And all this boils down to one word.

Choice. A choice will determine your character. Your character defines your destiny. Your destiny is NOT a destination, nor achievement, but it is who you are. God made you and He knew who He wanted you to be. He wanted you to be someone, He had a plan and a purpose for you, and nothing makes Him happier nor more glorified than if we fulfill our purposes. We choose Him. Not over the big things, but the NEXT decision. The next one, the next one. God gave us free will. Choose. Choose God now, next time.

Dun worry about the future, worry about today. It is hard enough. Choose God NOW. Dun hesitate. Choose Him Now. That you may achieve the DESTINY that God has for each and everyone of us, that we may attain righteousness by faith, that same faith that is the only thing that can please God, that same faith that will produce works, all boils down to the living faith that is an action. Walking in agreement with God. And to get that faith, we need the disciplines of loving God.

Fruit

Jn 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me"

God gave me a word yesterday. Do i bear good fruit? Am i bare because I have borne bad fruit and am being pruned, or is it because the fruit i bear, others have partaken of. Fruit borne by trees do not serve the trees (other then to propagate) The trees fruit is eaten by others, blessing the people who partake of the fruit. Bad fruit means you are pruned, or cut down. Good fruit means you will be harvested.

I do not know if i have borne good fruit, or even if i have been able to bless anyone. But i know that right now, i am bare. For what reason i know not.

Shaun said it is seasons. Well let me pray hard that this season i will not have a season of fruitless waiting. God did say that if I open the door, He will come in. When He abides in Me, I will bear fruit.

This is not a bible exposition. You will notice that some times i use verses out of context. God speaks and uses the verses out of context (but in context with his character) to me. That is my personal belief, and that is how He has always spoken to me. I write this as a disclaimer, because i am sick of people telling me the context. God's word (Rhema) is different from God's word (Logos).

I qualify the Called

A few things.

I was praying today and God asked me a question. Why do i not want to enter teaching now.

And my answer was that i felt that I was not experienced in life enough to be able to bless the students.

And God in his almighty wisdom said, I qualify the called.

I dun know if God wants me to enter teaching now. I mean i always wanted to teach, i know that God did want me to teach, i just did not know he meant NOW. It is ilike all the doors of other occupations are closed. And really closed. Which is funny.

Then God asked me another question. Do i know the vehicle or the target? The vehicle is teaching, the target is my students. But am i really into the vehicle or the target group. Is my calling to the teaching industry or to the students. Either way, what is my calling, i have to know my purpose. And that is the next stage, to know God's call in my life.

The only way to do that? To practice the discipline of loving God.