Discipline is “doing the right thing.” It is usually mentioned when doing the right thing is not what we really want to do at the time.

When we are children, our parents sometimes had to provide the discipline for us, making us do the right thing when we didn’t want to. When we mature, however, we build “self-discipline” where we will do the right thing on our own.

One challenge as we become more mature and self-disciplined is that we become more confident in our own opinions, and become resistant to correction from outside.

If we are following God, he is always there providing us discipline when we need it, and subtle correction when we need that. It is important to keep our minds attentive to his inputs that may come from our conscience, comments from others, Bible studies, or other places.

Proverbs 15:30 says, “If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.” We need to look for God’s corrections that will improve our understanding of our situations.

Dear Lord, thank you for providing guidance to help us with the directing our lives. Help us listen for and be open to your correction. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

“Just Do It”, “You’re in Good Hands,” “Built Tough,” “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” “What’s in your wallet?”

These are all slogans from, well known, marketing campaigns.

God has a marketing plan too. It is us.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Our behavior as Christians should be an attraction to others. How we treat our family, friends, and others, how we deal with difficulties, and even how we deal with success should demonstrate the confidence, peace and joy that being saved and believing in Jesus to provide.

Dear Lord, how we live our lives is the first exposure others have to Christianity, and it either creates an opportunity to share your Good News, or gives people reason to resist you because of us. Help us be the light that shines and attracts people to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

How often we limit ourselves by believing that we cannot do something because we don’t have enough influence, enough education, enough money, enough time, etc. We don’t pursue the dreams in our hearts, or make the contributions in our communities or churches, because we think we need more of something before we can start.

I think one of the lessons of the story of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000 is the process he took to do something tremendous starting with the limited resources he had. John’s account of the story in John 6:11,12 goes, “Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God, passed them out to the people. Afterwards he did the same with the fish. And everyone ate until full! “Now gather the scraps,” Jesus told his disciples, “so that nothing is wasted.” And twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers.”

The simple steps are 1) Believe 2) Start with what you have 3) Thank God for what you have and what he will do 4) Get started.

Dear Lord Help us remember these simple steps you taught us to follow. Help us remember there is no limit to your power, and therefore no limit to what you can do through us. We thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I think we have all seen those wild animal documentaries showing the predators, lions, tigers, and hyenas following a herd of prey. They wait for a young, old, or weak member of the herd to get out of the safety of the herd, and they attack that one.

In the same way, 1 Peter 5:8 tells his followers, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The Devil also looks for someone that does not have support of other Christians. The lack of support makes them easier to influence, manipulate and pull away from their faith. Having a “herd” or our group of Christian friends and family for support helps us avoid being vulnerable to attack from our enemy the Devil. A great way to have a group of Christian friends is to have a church you regularly attend. The “herd” is there to help protect you, but you are also there to protect and support other members.

Dear Lord, help us all find our Christian “herd” and a church where we can feel safe and comfortable in our faith. Help us provide mutual support for each other to defend against the attacks of the devil. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have you ever had someone question whether you “really believe that stuff?,” referring to Christianity, or has someone presented the opportunity for you to share your faith when they were sincerely searching for hope during a difficult time?

Jesus told His disciples in Luke 21:13-15, that there will be times when they would be questioned, challenged, made fun of and even tortured and killed for their faith. He told them however, “but make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict” NIV

Hopefully none of us will have to face physical danger for our faith, but most of us, at some point, will be put in a position to affirm our faith to someone. Remember not to worry, God will give us the words and wisdom we need.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the assurance you provide us, knowing we are not on our own, you are there to give us the words and wisdom we need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.