Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23, New International Version)
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10, New International Version)
Theme: The Wisdom of Discipline
Title: Discipline and Design
Reflection:
How are we designed for discipline? For sound scientific reasons, a biological/psychological answer would certainly include references to the brain. Without negating the contribution of science, as I think about discipline, I find references to the heart in the Old Testament interesting and informative. For context it is important to note that Old Testament references to the heart involved much more than the physical organ. For example, in the Jewish prayer called the Shema there is a reference to the heart (“Hear O Israel the LORD is our God the LORD is one, and as for you, you shall love the LORD your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-5). The word for heart used here is pronounced as levav or lev. The important takeaway is that this references a broad concept of thoughts, desires, will and emotions.
Often, when I think of discipline I associate it with fixing my mind on some behavior until it becomes second nature. However, the focus on the heart in our Scripture passages today expands my thinking. If our heart (the core of our being) isn’t committed to God’s desires then our discipline is misaligned. We could become disciplined in thoughts or actions that are not God honoring. Proverbs 4:23 emphasizes the importance of protecting our heart from which all our actions flow. Psalm 51:10 captures David asking God to replace his sinful or misaligned heart. David knows only God can create and make his heart new. The verse goes on to say, “renew a steadfast spirit.” In other words, a disciplined (control gained by enforcing obedience) spirit.
Conclusion:
As believers, discipline demands a heart (inner being) that is intentionally tuned to God. This requires God creating a new heart in us. Where discipline is concerned, we will sometimes fall short but knowing we serve the Creator who knows our design gives us confidence that we can get up and move forward.
Are you encouraged by God’s knowledge of our design? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Contributor: Bridget Jeffries
March 18, 2025 at 6:51 am
There is something comforting in taking my new truck to the manufacturer for routine maintenance. They made the vehicle and should know it better than anyone else. God made me and knows me better than I could know myself. That encourages me!
March 18, 2025 at 7:20 am
Yes, I am encouraged that the God who created me knows my uniqueness , my strength, weakness , my heart , my everything. It is a privilege to be a child of God. Knowing all of these have made me trust Him more each day and glorify Him
with my actions, word, and deeds. My obedience is the outcome of the discipline that my Lord and savior instilled in me through His Living Word.
March 18, 2025 at 7:46 am
Definitely! God himself designed me. He designed me and knows that with His guidance and nurturing, paired with my faithfulness and dependence on Him, I can serve Him, trust Him, live for Him, and Love Him with my all heart.
The psalmist asked God to create in him a pure heart. We should ask the same, and discipline ourselves to keep our hearts pure, so whatever “flows” from us lines up with what God expects from us. If at any time we “malfunction“, with a repentant heart we can talk directly to the Designer or consult the manual, the Bible, for an adjustment.
March 18, 2025 at 6:27 pm
I love the Christian distinctive that we are not merely given a moral code, or even a motivation for discipline and obedience, but the power by which we can obey and be disciplined, through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Our Designer God knows us, that we are weak and unable, and meets us in our places of need. We do well to seek after His help, and submit to the Spirit.
Psalm 51:10 (second verse above), in a song, was a key prayer in my coming to Christ, as well as another “heart-song,”…
“Change my heart oh God,
Make it ever true,
Change my heart oh God,
Make me more like You.
You are the Potter, I am the clay,
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.”
March 18, 2025 at 8:22 pm
It’s definitely encouraging to me. Entering motherhood means that I’m still struggling to balance everything, especially prioritizing spiritual discipline. It brings me comfort to know that, by design, I am built to “go forward” again.