No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 HCSB

My boss used to have a plaque on his wall that said, “The beatings will continue until morale improves.” I am sure you have heard this and perhaps seen it on plaques, coffee mugs, and t-shirts. The word morale is not to be confused with the word moral. The word morale, spelled with an e on the end, means confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a person or group at a particular time. The word moral is defined as being concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.

The term morale as used in the military meant confidence. It is unknown who first said this, but the understanding is that firm discipline improves confidence. Have you ever been around a child that lacks discipline? It’s not a pleasant experience. Have you ever worked in an organization that lacked structure and discipline? It breeds chaos and confusion.

For years I took that saying to mean that the morale of any given institution was low due to poor management and that management’s idea was to beat their employees down and would just continue to do so. I thought that it implied a hopeless situation. But from the military standpoint it actually means that good, firm, fair and properly applied discipline improves confidence and enthusiasm.

God disciplines human beings. We have seen this throughout the Bible. In Genesis chapter 3 when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of the serpent, all three of them were disciplined and it stretched out to following generations. We saw the Israelites disciplined many times because of their idolatry. But even when he disciplined the Israelites, He always worked it out for the good of those who loved Him (Romans 8:28). We see examples of this with Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Esther and Mordecai, just to name a few.

Discipline is used to teach desired behavior. It provides proper training. An undisciplined child appears to be a miserable child and they tend to make those around them miserable as well. Even an undisciplined pet can be a nuisance. If you have ever watched Cesar Milan, also known as the Dog Whisperer, he will tell you that our dogs rely on us to be the leader and to guide and discipline them.

As humans, we also look to a leader. The question is what leader do you look to? Do you have certain people that you look up to and perhaps try to emulate? We should be looking to Christ to lead us. We should be doing our best to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1). We should be trusting in Him to guide us. But, we should also know that His firm hand will discipline us when we disobey Him.

As a child growing up I knew that the way to avoid a spanking was to obey the rules. I also learned from getting spankings how to correct errant behavior. As a Christian, I know that God will discipline me when I mess up. I know that this is because He loves me. I know that this is because He wants what is best for me (Jeremiah 29:11).

As an aspiring adult, I’m not really sure that I’m there yet, I have come to appreciate the discipline and correction that my parents provided. I thank God that He gave me parents that took the time and the trouble to steer me in the right direction. Proverbs 13:24 says that whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. This verse proves that my parents loved me. Proverbs 3:11 tells us that the LORD disciplines those whom he loves. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way that he should go and he will not depart from it when he is old.

Discipline is a good thing, but it is meant to teach us. It is meant to bring forth desired behavior. Just as the scripture passage says, none of us like being disciplined but it brings forth righteousness. Righteous living brings peace to our lives.

Strive to obey God’s commands, but when you fail, know that there is a price to pay. God disciplines us because he loves us. As long as you are feeling the rod of reproof you know He hasn’t given up on you yet. I pray that we will respond well.

Have a great day!