“The Disciplined Life” Pt 4:
Kobe Bryant played 20 years for the Los Angeles Lakers and is recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of all times. A good friend told me a story about Bryant this week. A visitor in LA and had an opportunity to attend what he thought was a Laker practice. However, the only people in the gym were Bryant and a couple guys rebounding for him. This visitor watch Kobe Bryant shoot the same shot from the same spot on the floor for two consecutive hours.
Following this display of hundreds of shots, the individual spoke to Kobe. “I came to watch a practice, and you practiced only one shot, why?” The Hall of Famer responded, “So I won’t miss that shot in a game!”
Routines can be boring and seemingly mundane, but proper habit stacking not only moves a musician, athlete, or business executive from average to exceptional. The same is true for the Christian life. As a follower of Christ, we are called to a life of holiness. To live as Jesus lived. The sound of those words their immediate frighten most people.
Ephesians 5:1 says we are to be “Imitators of God.” We learn about God through one book – the Bible. The Holy Scriptures aren’t a Book we read occasionally. If you desire to live like Jesus a decision must be made – do you really want to put in the time and effort to learn about Lord of Lords and King of Kings?
Spiritual growth and faith building require spiritual disciplines. Show me a successful person in anything, and I’ll show you a person with discipline. It wasn’t luck, but the practice of proper decisions on a daily basis. What daily decisions do you make on a daily basis? What personal disciplines do you have in place that are helping you develop spiritual growth and good moral character?
Spiritual maturity isn’t a mystery or magical – it’s about practice. Growth and faith building come through repetition – through “CONSTANT USE,” which helps us distinguish between good and evil says Hebrews 5:14 (NIV). This series on “Discipline” will end tomorrow with Bible references admonishing us to build strong spiritual habits.
Pastor Carnes
