Rule of Life (4) - Self-discipline

RULE OF LIFE(4) – SELF-DISCIPLINE

You may recall that I suggested three weeks ago, that if we are serious about growing in the spiritual life, we need to be disciplined disciples and that this is best expressed in a Rule of Life.

The following week I suggested that a Rule of Life gives a pattern to our spiritual life which can facilitate growth by enabling us to persevere, assess progress and set realistic goals.

Then last week we looked at the place worship should have in that Rule, whereby we can come to know God through regular, common and private prayer, and the reading of the Bible.

Today I want to examine our personal response to God, as our knowledge of him deepens.

After all, such knowledge should make a difference to the way we live our lives. For instance, you don't need me to tell you that I am not a saint! Nevertheless I never cease to be amazed how much my wife continues to love me with warts and all. And that love evokes a voluntary response from me in the way I try to live my life so that it may give her pleasure.

Likewise, the more we become aware of God's unconditional love for us, through corporate and private prayer and the reading of the Bible, the more we find ourselves needing to respond to that love in the way we live our lives so that we may give him pleasure.

The key to that voluntary response is self-discipline. Through self-discipline we demonstrate that we are masters of our own lives. We don't have to be blown about by every whim and fancy. We can take control ourselves with the help of God.

Now that is not to say it is easy. The attractiveness of evil is always very strong and there will be times when we shall succumb to temptation. That is why it is helpful to try and express our self-discipline in a Rule of Life to remind ourselves at all times of our good intentions.

What then should such a Rule contain?

May I suggest three areas of life, though the application will vary from person to person, according to your circumstance and the particular stage you have reached in your spiritual journey.

Firstly, to give freely. After all, God's love for us is free, continuous, unconditional and undeserving. Can we do less than respond freely to that love? This includes the giving freely of our time, our talents and our treasures.

Out of the 168 hours per week, you spend about 56 hours sleeping and some 50 hours working and travelling to and from work if you are employed. That leaves you with 72 hours to spend as you choose.

As regards this, you need to determine how much time you should give to God, yourselves and other people. It is all too easy to get the balance wrong and as a result your spiritual life and family life can suffer. There is no virtue in spending all your available time in the service of God so that your family life suffers. Likewise, there is no virtue in spending all your available time with the family so that your spiritual life suffers. We all need to determine an appropriate balance.

Likewise as regards your talents. These can be used to your own benefit. They can also be used for the benefit of others. Again, there is a need for balance.

For instance, I try as far as possible, to discourage any one person from having more than one particular job in the life of the church. It is not easy. It is so easy to flog a willing horse and we all know that if you want a job doing, you look for a busy person! But that is fair neither on them nor on others. On the other hand, everyone needs to be willing to give of their time and not leave it to the few.

Similarly, I have always believed that talents should be used not just to the benefit of the Church but also of the wider community. Again, we need to get the balance right.

As regards your treasures, you know as well as I do, the Biblical teaching about tithing and the General Svnod’s recommendation of giving of 5p in the pound of take-home pay to the work of God's church which still leaves a further 5p in the pound, to give to other worthwhile causes. Again, we need to be disciplined about this if we are to be proficient Christians.

Secondly, fasting. This is an ancient custom whereby Christians seek to demonstrate that they are in control of their lives.

This can be expressed in the traditional way of going without. It used to be the custom to refrain from eating meat on a Friday, recalling our Lord's death upon the cross on Good Friday. In the parish we are currently holding hunger lunches on Fridays during Lent whereby by having a simple meal, and giving the amount we would normally spend to Christian Aid, we are seeking to identify ourselves with those who are homeless and hungry in the world.

Alternatively, you can choose to do something which is not in your nature to do naturally and generously.

And finally, you need to express your self-discipline by examining your lifestyle on a regular basis and to confess your sins (either privately or sacramentally) to God, if you are to grow towards holiness.

For such self-examination to be effective you need a yard-stick so you can determine how far short you have fallen from being Christ-like. If you like, we need regular tests in our spiritual lives.

What method then are you going to use?

Some people use the list of the fruits of the spirit at the end of Galations, chapter 5.

Others use the Beatitudes in Matthew Chapter 5 and others the Ten Commandments as a basis. I personally use Paul's' description of love in 1 Corinthians 13.

First of all, I read through the passage slowly and let the words take root. "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong-doing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things".

Now that is a wonderful description of God who is described in the Bible as being love.

Next I try and see what this ideal is like in person by rereading the passage and substituting the word 'Jesus' for love since Jesus shows us what God is like in a human form. "Jesus is patient. Jesus is kind: Jesus is not envious, or boastful or arrogant or rude. Jesus does not insist on his own way; Jesus is not irritable or resentful; Jesus does not rejoice in wrong doing but rejoices in the truth..... "

Now since, as a professional Christian, made in the image of the invisible God, I am trying to live a Christ-like life, I re-read the passage, substituting my own name for that of Jesus. "Terry is patient; Terry is kind; Terry is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude" and so on. I don't think I need go any further.

Not only do you need to determine the method you shall use, you also need to determine the frequency of self-examination.

Every day I do a bit of dusting and get rid of the dirt and grime of sin in my life. On Saturdays I do a more thorough job so I can include my sins in the Confession at the Sunday Eucharist. However, I also make a practice of a jolly good spring-clean occasionally. I do this on Shrove Tuesday so I can determine where I need to concentrate upon my growth in Lent. Again, I do it on Holy Saturday, at the end of Lent so I can also see where I have failed to grow. I also do this before Christmas so I can see where Jesus has been pushed out of my life, as he was at the inn at Bethlehem. Also I do it sometimes at the end of summer and beginning of autumn when the leaves are falling so I can see what needs to be swept up and burnt in my life.

To sum up then, may I suggest that part of the discipline of your Rule of Life should include some reference to self-discipline. In particular, something about giving of your time, talents and treasures, fasting and self-examination.