DISCIPLINE

The root word of "disciple" is discipline. One cannot be a disciple of Christ without consistently refining themselves in the Lord's disciplines. The fruit of the spirit will grow abundantly in the heart of a disciplined mind. 

Scripture to read: Psalm 1:1-3, Matthew 6:16-17, Matthew 14:23-24, James 5:16, John 15:11

"The battle of prayer is against two things in the earthliness: wandering thoughts and lack of intimacy with God's character as revealed in His word. Neither can be cured at once, but they can be cured by discipline." -Oswald Chambers

"A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do it provide the right conditions for the growing of the grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain... This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines - they are a way of sowing to the Spirit... By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done."      -Richard Foster

"Discipline brings freedom." -Richard Foster

Books to read:

• Celebration of Disciplines by Richard Foster

• Discipline by Elizabeth Elliot