Success is a result of discipline

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11 NIV

Wow! Talk about having a stellar year. Jim Walmsley, 36, finished the Western States 100 mile ultra marathon, considered to be the "Ultimate Challenge" for the long distance runner, Saturday in an astounding 14 hours, nine minutes and 28 seconds, breaking the course record he set last year by 20 minutes. And if that wasn't impressive enough, earlier this year, Walmsley ran a one hour and four minute half marathon, winning himself a place at the Olympic marathon qualifiers, and also broke the 50 mile road world record in 4:51.25. And you know, although Walmsley is a truly gifted runner, without the discipline to hone his God-given talent day after day and year after year, he would never have achieved this success.

You see, discipline, or self-control, is the key character trait every person needs in order to be successful on the race course and off. Why? Because self-control determines what a person does, what a person thinks and who a person ultimately is and is only acquired through determined and repeated effort. But guess what? Gaining discipline, whether physical or spiritual, is "painful" at the time a person is developing or experiencing it. Thankfully though, in the case of spiritual discipline, or correction by God, you can be sure that the person who accepts it, learns from it and presses on in spite of its’ unpleasantness time and again will reap the rewards of gaining the self-control that results in having a close relationship with the Lord and living a righteous life. 

So if you're experiencing the Lord's correction in your life today and it's a bit painful, be thankful my friend. Not only does God discipline those that He loves, He does it to make us more like Him - something that is always worth the temporary suffering, whether we can see it at the time or not. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for  the reminder that living a righteous life involves daily training in the Word and practicing self-control. Lord, when we stray from the path, help us to welcome and accept the correction You give us knowing that when we learn from Your discipline and change, we will always become stronger in our walk with You and better equipped to make it to the finish line. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Run - Lecrae