Masculinity - Discipline/Mentorship

"'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, not be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.' It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons." Hebrews 12:5 - 10

Discipline is most often the most misused word I know. In my personal experience as an assistant principal and principal, people equated "discipline" with "punishment," but discipline is far more than punishment. Discipline has multiple meanings, and if you look it up, you will see it can mean to teach, train, and admonish/correct a child, apprentice, friend and the like who are under your influence or control (voluntarily or involuntarily) or to learn a formal field of study (his discipline he studied in college was architecture). 

We always seem to go to the base meaning of the word, to punish, but my desire as a principal and parent was that every moment in a student's or child's day is a teachable moment which forms habits. Desirable routines and habits facilitate discipline which in turn improves the student of person in the goals he or she has set in life. Discipline is as internally driven as it is externally. In fact, we know that people are primarily driven by internal desires and drive more than external. If you've had the privilege to meet an Olympian, you've had the privilege of meeting someone who was driven by the idea of being great and a love of what they did.

As men of faith in a church setting, we are here to be a part of that body, as we confess during an infant's baptism, that will pray for, attend to and be a part of that child's faith life. We are here to instruct, teach, correct and see to it that the child learns the discipline of his or her faith. If we search scripture, fathers are mentioned more often than mothers are in terms of the development of faith, but men in general play a big role. 

Our next set of devotions on masculinity will provide helpful scripture and ideas that may motivate of help in these areas. We pray that as men of God, our example via words and actions speak to those we see and that these help grow and develop the faith of those we contact.