Disciplines Of A Godly Man

Men need to be disciplined spiritually. Being disciplined spiritually is more profound than being disciplined physically. Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:7-8, "Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8) 

In the book, "Disciplines Of A Godly Man" by Kent Hughes, the author teaches that men need to sweat and work hard spiritually. Men need to be disciplined. I quote him, "No manliness no maturity! No discipline no discipleship! No sweat no sainthood!"

For sure, it is a practical book that speaks directly to men on all sorts of areas in life. The areas where men need to be disciplined in godliness, according to Kent Hughes, are: Purity, Marriage, Fatherhood, Friendship, Mind, Devotion, Prayer, Worship, Integrity, Tongue, Work, Perseverance, Church, Leadership, Giving, Witness, and Ministry. The last chapter of the book is titled, "Grace Of Discipline". Hughes remind us that spiritual discipline comes from an understanding of God's grace from the beginning until the end. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:10)

We might want to consider some areas where Kent Hughes did not touch upon. Personally, I think it would also be biblical to speak about REST as a spiritual discipline. Nonetheless, this book is helpful in reminding me about the importance of spiritual discipline. 

This is a challenge for the Christian men out there to practice spiritual discipline. Spiritual discipline is not legalistic. Hughes says, "nothing could be farther from the truth if you understand what discipline and legalism are. The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, "I will do this thing to gain merit with God." The disciplined heart says, "I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him.""

Our world tells us what being a man is all about, but God's Word is counter-cultural to this idea of how to be a man. Mark Driscoll, a pastor at Mars Hill Church, leads a ministry where men are stepping up in leading the family and serving the church. Driscoll hates that the world is teaching male how to be men. Therefore, in one of his famous sermons on 1 Peter, he preached a sermon where he scolded the men in the church.