____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20) ____________________________________________________ July 28, 1996 ____________________________________________________ How To Develop Self-Discipline by Donnie V. Radar Jesus said, ``Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me'' (Mark 8:34). This series has been about learning to deny ourselves--learning to control or master ourselves. We have seen that God demands self-denial (part 1). We saw that we must suppress our will and put God's will first (part 2). We learned that meekness is a part of mastering ourselves and we saw how to apply it in our lives (parts 3 and 4). We looked at the principle of temperance and how it applies in so many areas of life (part 5). In this last article in the series, let's consider how we can develop self-discipline. Begin With An ``I Can'' Attitude The apostle Paul had an ``I can'' attitude. He said, ``I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'' (Phil. 4:13). This is not an all inclusive statement. Rather, in context Paul is saying that he can do what God expects of him. He can live with or without some of the pleasures of life. He can abound or be abased. In application, I learn that I can fulfill any command, bear any trial, perform any duty, meet any temptation and live in any circumstance with Christ. Since God expects me to control myself, then I can do it. I can say ``No.'' I can refrain. I can bridle my tongue. I can quit what I know to be wrong. I can make myself do what I know I need to do (James 4:17). I can do without some things that I may desire and want. I can overcome habits and practices that I have learned and developed. One who begins with a defeatist attitude will not discipline self. When facing a challenge some will say things like, ``I don't know...I'll try, but I don't think I can do it.'' Or, ``It is hard for me to....'' If we begin with the attitude that we can control ourselves, then that leads to an ``I will'' attitude (cf. Heb. 6:3). That involves determination. With those attitudes we will master self. Refuse To Dwell On What You Need To Deny Too often we dwell on things that we don't need, can't afford or can't do. We spend time thinking about how we would like to get even with someone, knowing all the while that we cannot. We may focus on the fun we are missing by living right. We may think about things we would like to say that we shouldn't. Ungodly fantasies may camp in our minds. We must realize that it is hard to ``window shop'' without either buying something or making ourselves miserable. The answer is simply to control our thinking. Outward sins come from our thoughts (Matt. 15:19). The point is: stop your thoughts before they lead to sin. Lustful thoughts can lead to adultery (2 Sam. 11; Matt. 5:28). Bitterness and hatred can lead to murder (1 John 3:15). This principle includes thinking on things that are sinful. We are to deny ``ungodliness and worldly lusts'' (Titus 2:12). It also includes things right within themselves like: (1) material things beyond our reach (Phil. 4:11; Heb. 13:5), (2) something the doctor has forbidden, or (3) anything to the excess. Think Before You Act Joseph is a classic example of this (Gen. 39). When tempted by Potiphar's wife, he thought about: (1) the sin and wickedness involved and (2) the trust that Potiphar had in him. His thinking led to his control of self. David said, ``I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies'' (Psa. 119:59). Some questions need to be raised (especially in the midst of temptation) to help us learn to exercise self- control: * Is this how God wants me to respond? * Am I yielding to my own desires or to the desires of God? * Will I be controlling myself in this? * Should I say this? Does it serve any good purpose? * Is this what I need? * Can I afford this? * Can I do without this? * Will I be ashamed after I do this? * Will I regret my actions later? * Would I want my children and other family members knowing if I do this? It follows that if all sin comes from the wrong thoughts, then the right thoughts lead to right actions (Matt. 15:19). That is one of the reasons why Paul wrote, ``Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things'' (Phil. 4:8). Recognize God's Avenues For Fulfilling Your Desires Desires and temptations are not wrong. Jesus was tempted, but he did not yield (Heb. 4:15). Desire for some things is natural. What we must realize is that God has a proper way for fulfilling legitimate desires. Man has the desire to eat. God's way of fulfilling that desire is that man should work so he can have food to eat (2 Thess. 3:10). His desire to eat should not cause him to violate Bible principles. He can't steal his food. He must not be a glutton. Man has a natural sex drive. However, he cannot fulfill that desire any way he chooses. Rather, God's plan is for that to be fulfilled within the honor of marriage (1 Cor. 7:1-9; Heb. 13:14). We have desires to deal with or react to things that are said and done to us. Yet, God has a way for us to handle that. If someone has committed a crime against us, we are told, ``do not avenge yourselves'' (Rom. 12:19). The next chapter shows that God has a way of dealing with that through the civil government (Rom. 13:1-7). The point is that our desires have to be controlled or channeled. View Yourself As A Steward We all are stewards (1 Cor. 4:2; Luke 12:42). That means that God has entrusted us with a number of things in life. We are given responsibility to properly manage them for God. We are stewards of our life, our money, and our time. If we think of ourselves as stewards who will give an account of all that we have, we can develop the self-control that we need. Remember The Word And What It Says This is what Jesus did when he was tempted of the devil (Matt. 4:1-11). Joseph did the same thing in recalling that fornication is ``great wickedness, and sin against God'' (Gen. 39:9). David considered the word as a deterrent to sin. He said, ``Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You'' (Psa. 119:11). Thus, we must study the word and ever keep it on our minds. We should meditate on it day and night (Psa. 1:2). Our hearts need to be saturated with the word (Deut. 6:6-9). Then, as we recall what the word says on a particular matter, it helps us develop and exercise self- discipline. We must discipline ourselves to be his disciple. -- Via Guardian of Truth, May 16, 1996 ___________________________________________ Plants And Trees Of The Bible by Wayne S. Walker ``Then God said, `Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth''; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day'' (Genesis 1:11-13). In his well-known Lands of the Bible, J. W. McGarvey wrote in the second part, ``The Topography of Palestine,'' chapter 9, ``An Argument from the Agreement of the Land and the Book'': ``In regard to the trees of a country a writer may so inform himself as to speak with accuracy when formally naming the trees which grow there; but if he locates a narrative in a country with which he is not personally familiar, in his incidental or unstudied allusions to trees he is very likely to betray himself by unconsciously substituting the trees of his own country. Yet nothing of this kind is found among all the Bible writers'' (p. 378). Jericho is called ``the city of palm trees.'' In Deuteronomy 34:3 Moses saw, ``the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar'' (cf. 2 Chronicles 28:15). Palm trees do not grow in much of Palestine because it is hilly. However, Jericho is an oasis in a desert region that is of much lower elevation, and palm trees still grow there. So palm trees grow exactly where a Bible writer says that they grow. The sycamore is a type of fig tree that grows only in the lower elevations, such as the Jordan valley around the Dead Sea or the coastal regions, in contrast to the cedars which were more abundant in the higher elevations, such as around Jerusalem (I Kings 10:26-27). Zaccheus climbed a sycamore tree (Luke 19:1-4). This was at Jericho, which is located in the lower elevations. Suppose the writer had located the story at Jerusalem, where there are no sycamore trees! Jesus said that the mustard seed ``becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches'' (Matthew 13:31-32). The common field mustard with which most of us are familiar is a fairly small plant. But in Palestine the mustard does indeed become a tree-like shrub. Dr. William Thompson in his The Land and the Book wrote: ``I have seen this plant on the rich plain of Akkar [Acre] as tall as the horse and his rider'' (p. 414). Only someone familiar with this fact would have spoken or written such a statement. Finally, the Bible pictures oak (terebinth) trees as growing in certain places (e.g., 2 Samuel 18:6-10). McGarvey again said: ``Absalom is represented as being caught by the head in the `thick boughs of a great oak,' though in almost every other country the boughs of a great oak are either too high nor not thick enough for a man's head to be caught in them'' (pp. 378-379). These trees are reported to be quite common east of Jerusalem where the battle between the armies of David and Absalom fought. So Bible writers are accurate in their places of plants and trees. -- Via With All Boldness, February 1996 ___________________________________________ Salvation What must one do to be saved from past sins and head for heaven? The following: Believe in Jesus (Jn. 8:24) Repent of sins (Acts 17:30) Confess faith in Christ (Acts 8:36-38) Be Baptized in water (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16) Keep faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10) ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES We extend our condolences to the family, friends and relatives of Wallace and Carla Little's oldest son who was recently killed in a motorcycle accident in Texas. Gary Kerr has submitted an update on Jan and Judy: ``Just wanted to let you all know that Jan Reese's bone marrow transplant was yesterday in Columbia, SC. As of right now, everything went fine with both Jan and her donor/sister Judy Lewis. It's just a question now of waiting for the next few months to see if the transplant is going to do the trick...Please remember Jan & Judy and their families fervently in your prayers.'' Carol Music requests prayer for her mother who had cataract surgery on her eye about a week ago. Let us also continue to remember Carol's father, Ernest Hamm, who still has an aneurysm (on his aorta). Ron Music's mother, ``June,'' is still in one of Ashland's local nursing homes, due to the medical care she has been needing. Congratulations to Arnold and Sonya Cochran on the birth of their new child, Tamerah Ruth! Greetings visitors! ___________________________________________ SELECTED SENTENCE-SERMONS * When you talk, you repeat what you already know; when you listen, you often learn something. * If you are not closer to heaven today than you were yesterday, check your road map...you may have taken a wrong turn. * There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience. * Everybody is wise after the thing has happened. * There are some whose faith is not strong enough to bring them to services, but they expect it to take them to heaven. _________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@wwd.net ___________________________________________