Discipline My Body

Inductive Bible Study – March 15, 2013

1 Corinthians 9:27

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Interpretation

I appreciate how the greek translates this verse: ‘I pummel my body and make it a slave’

To pummel is to strike repeatedly.

So Jesus, our perfect example, was disciplined. He was led by the Spirit into the desert to fast forty days and forty nights; He regularly went alone to spend time with God because his horizontal relationships are nothing if the vertical relationship isn’t there.

Before coming to Potter’s Field I wasn’t disciplined in my morning routine. I would stay in bed as long as possible before having to rush out of bed, grab breakfast, and run to work. Sometimes I would get my devotion time in later in the day, but other times I wouldn’t. My priorities were not straight. I was valuing a petty extra 45 minutes of sleep more than quality time spent with my awesome creator in prayer and Bible study. I was involved in the sin of idolatry by putting extra sleep over devotions to start my day off. So why did I so long for this sleep? Probably because I stayed up too late the night before watching Sportscenter or Discovery Channel; not only was the extra sleep idolatry, the things that were keeping me awake longer than I should have been awake that caused that extra need for sleep were idolatry as well.

I have to pummel unnecessary late nights and make it my slave. What else is there to pummel? Things that we’re doing well and things that we’re not doing well all need to have the ‘strike repeatedly’ pummel treatment. I could decide to wake up on any given morning at 7:50am and stroll over to breakfast at 8. NO, I must pummel that. I could decide not to do my required homework or not apply myself fully to it. NO, I must pummel that. I could decide to grumble during crazy kids songs in the morning when I’m half asleep or grumble during servant time. NO, I must pummel that.

Let’s not be disqualified for the prize.

Application

Today I will pray that God will reveal any areas that I’m not aware of that need more discipline and will write down what is revealed.