“Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:10).
Discipline and obedience are two sides of the same coin, and frankly, there are not many coins bearing the imprint of these two qualities in our pockets and purses these days. We like the fruit of both, though. Women admire the slim figure which has been gained through rigorous exercise and careful dieting, and men, certainly, wish they had the rippling muscles of a weight lifter or the prowess of a football linebacker, but their bulging waistlines testify to the reality: they can’t say no to the junk food, and if they do exercise, they certainly park as close to the gym or fitness center as possible. Convenience, you know.
The word obedience seems to smack of dependence, of losing your independence, of not thinking for yourself, and certainly not being in control. And anything that causes you to lose control seems to stick in the craw of the human race. It always has, but in the last generation, knuckling under, whether it is to be at school on time, work the required number of hours, pay taxes honestly and justly, or have nothing that you prefer not to tell your husband or wife is difficult if not impossible for most of us.
True, we admire those who do have discipline in their lives—the Olympian who trains for years, rising early when it’s cold and dark to go to a cold ice arena or gym, the artic explorer who pushes the envelope of survival, braving the bitter edge of endurance, the mountain climber who pushes on towards the top, his oxygen depleted, his muscles burning with fatigue, and the struggling merchant who refuses to quit and eventually succeeds. Yes, we all would like to be those people. Who wouldn’t like to see his face on the Wheaties box of champions, or the front page of Sports Illustrated, or Women’s Weekly if you are female.
So, why don’t we have more who make it to the top? The price is just too great. The path of obedience is drudgery and painful instead of joyful, and the discipline necessary to achieve is lacking. True, we’ll take the shortcut if that will work. Bring on the steroids, which build muscle, the pill guaranteed to make you slender, the fix that is guaranteed to succeed. The pages of history tell about the wannabes, the ones who wanted to be the first to get there, even being willing to cheat on their records, fix the log book, use deceitful measurements, or bribe the officials.
Victory which is gotten with purloined currency is always shallow and tentative, and the possibility of discovery always hangs over the head of the one who cheated and lied his way to the top. Athletes who are forced to return the gold carry the stigma with them forever, no matter how many gainfully won medals they may acquire.
Now, here’s something else to think about. God expects no less than the world does when it comes to winning or reaching the top. The same miasma of thinking which has infected us in the past few decades also creates spiritual pigmies who know the language and wear the costume fairly well but lack the stamina and courage to go the distance. “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia,” so wrote Paul to Timothy, explaining why his fair-weather companions had quit and gone home (see 2 Timothy 4:10). Paul commended Timothy to the Philippians saying, “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, [but] not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:20-21).
Never forget discipline and obedience are inseparable for anyone who gets to the top.
Resource reading: 2 Timothy 4.
