Discipline is the study or training of people to obey a code of conduct or behavior. Punishment is the infliction of a penalty for an offense to that code of behavior. They are related but far from the same thing. If we discipline well then there is rarely need for punishment. It is only when we stray away from the training that we have received through discipline that there becomes a need for punishment.
My posts the last couple of weeks have been on my physical training pertaining to my hike of Mt. Whitney. The discipline necessary to prepare me for my hike was grueling. There were many times I did not want to go to the gym, do P90x, or go for a long run. But I had created a regiment that I knew would provide success and make my experience on the mountain the most enjoyable. Spiritually it words the same way. When we create disciplines in our spiritual life it allows us to prepare for all that life has to throw at us. Yes there are times that they are inconvenient, difficult, or we feel we just don't have time for them. But when I put my spiritual life, my relationship with God, as top priority then my desire should be for Him. My desire should be to spend time with Him in as many different ways and as often as possible.
Just like my schedule for physical training, my schedule for spiritual training has to be set as a priority. When I wake up, when I lie down and everything between. When I regularly connect myself back to God then my time with Him becomes even more fulfilling. There is a secondary effect here too, I feel His presence with me more regularly in the ordinary times of life.
As I discipline my life physically and spiritually it allows me to live with greater focus, capitalizing on every moment. For me, when I am physically disciplined it helps with my spiritual discipline. The disciplined life shines into most areas of our being.
Do you find discipline in one area of life affects other areas?
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