We are taught in Romans 1 that we have all been given a conscience, and the ability to follow it or not follow it is in our power. The resolve to follow our conscience, or what we perceive to be right or wrong, is the basis for character. Our character is strengthened by good teaching and training. This is why we have teaching and study as basic Christian disciplines, and the better it is, the more disciplined the people will tend to be.
Of course, there are exceptions to this. There are some amazingly disciplined people who have had little teaching or training, and then there are some undisciplined people who have had the best teaching and training. Generally, the quality of the character of a person or group will be greatly affected by the quality of the teaching and training they have received.
In Matthew 13:52 the Lord said, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.” Our spiritual treasure is the truth that we have. It is also the spiritual food by which we keep alive spiritually. We do not expect every meal to be completely new and something we have never tasted before; rather, our diets will probably be food that we are very familiar with and eat over and over. The same is true spiritually. We do need occasional new revelation and understanding, but we also need to have what we already know continually passing through us to keep us on track. Therefore, the repetition of sound doctrine is essential for spiritual health just as repeated eating of natural food is for our bodies. Occasional surprises may help keep our diet interesting, but it is the exception, not the rule.
If we enjoy watching team sports, we will often hear coaches talk about how good their practices are. If they are interviewed before a game, they will often equate their chances of winning the game with how good their practices are. Coaches know that the quality of the practices usually determine the quality of their team’s play in the actual game. Therefore, coaches often work as hard at motivating their teams for practice as they do for the game itself.
The most successful teams probably spend 95 percent of every practice on the fundamentals of their sport. The most successful people in any sport, business, or profession will almost always be those who know and practice the fundamentals best. One reason why I like to go to PGA golf tournaments is because they give you access to the practice range and putting greens so you can watch the professionals practice. Their practice is at times astonishing and can be amazingly creative. They have a multitude of ways to make practicing the basics interesting. Every day of our lives is our practice, and the Lord helps to make them infinitely interesting. Embrace life, and resolve to never waste a trial, but grow through it.
Even though PGA golfers seem to be amazingly creative in how they make their practices interesting, it is also amazing how serious they are when they practice. I was watching two of the best-known golfers on the putting green a couple of years ago and noticed that they were competing against each other with every practice putt, and even betting on each putt. I wondered if they were just addicted to gambling, but then found out it was not about winning the money, which was very little to them, but it was another way to motivate themselves to make every practice putt effective. Likewise, at the driving range usually there will be a couple competing on who can hit a certain yardage sign out of a designated number of drives. Any small thing like this can be used to hone their skills and make practices more effective.
I used to occasionally speak to NFL teams in their chapel before games and was always amazed at their focus and pre-game preparation. I watched linemen beating their heads against lockers because they were so intent on getting out on the field to hit their foes. Their focus just before the game was scary. Once, when I was speaking to the Denver Broncos before a game, I heard the Lord say to me that when He saw that kind of resolve and focus on His people, the kingdom would be near. I have never forgotten that, and I look at every crowd where I speak in order to gauge their focus. Lately, I have begun to see this kind of focus, resolve, and seriousness at some of our conferences.
Once I went up to see the Washington Redskins play their rival, the Dallas Cowboys, in a Monday night game. I stayed at the home of a friend who played for the Redskins, but he could not stay with us because the entire team had to stay at a local hotel the night before the game so that they could stay focused. I could not help but consider that if we ever started getting that serious about training and preparation for our church services that people would soon be packing out churches like they do stadiums for football games. We are going for a much greater prize than a Super Bowl trophy! A single soul is worth far more than any sports championship. When we wake up to the prize that we are running for, the focus will result in a faith that will begin to move mountains.
General Patton, one of the greatest field commanders in World War II, attributed his victories to the high level of training his men received. They were so prepared and disciplined that it opened up strategies that other commanders did not even consider possible, but Patton pulled them off. Patton almost never credited his victories with strategy, but with the training of his men. Great spiritual commanders will do the same.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will discuss some ways that we can practically apply this to helping raise up the strongest Christians possible—who do exploits, bring down strongholds, and live in the victory that Jesus went to the cross to purchase for us. That victory is for disciples, and a disciple is “a disciplined one.”