THAT'LL PREACH: Devotion vs. Discipline

Discipline without devotion to Jesus easily becomes self-improvement, exhausting routine, and futile performance. And devotion without discipline can become shallow, emotional, and inconsistent. But when devotion to Christ fuels discipline, consistency is no longer sustained by pressure - it's sustained by relationship with Jesus. In this episode of the podcast, Kelli Young talks about what it looks like to live a life that consists of both devotion and discipline, and how the two actually go hand-in-hand rather than one versus the other. Open your Bible, grab your friends, and get ready for the Lord to set your SOULS ON FIRE! 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. Happy Souls on Fire Friday. Oh man, it um it has been a minute. And um, as most of you guys know, if you don't, um we had our fourth baby in December. And I know you're probably like Kelly, it's May now. Um, but if you've had a newborn, you know that it just um it's like such a sweet season. Um, but it's also a very time-consuming, um, I would say like inconsistent season for me, maybe. Um, and I'm sure a lot of other moms can maybe relate to that, but it just is like you're you kind of are in a routine before, and now obviously we're trying to find new routines and what kind of works for her, what works for the other three kids, what works for me and Leish, my husband. And so yeah, I just um it's been inconsistent, obviously, with podcasts, but I am determined um to be back and posting at least once a month is my goal. I do want to go back to like every two weeks because I feel like that's a good time span in between. Um, and I also feel like that'll hold me accountable, but we'll see. We'll see how it goes. So, anyways, um, okay, well, I just wanna I wanna get into today's topic because with all that being said about having a newborn and just inconsistency and all of the things, um, today's episode is titled, as I'm sure you guys um saw, Devotion versus Discipline. And it's a part of our That'll Preach series. And before we like dive into um what I feel like the Lord has put on my heart to talk about today, I do just wanna tell you guys a little bit about like how this podcast idea or topic came to be. Um So a few weeks ago I was standing at my kitchen counter and I had just gotten all the kids to bed, and my house was just a disaster. Like laundry that needs to be done, dishes that have been piling up for like three days now, haven't swept, haven't mopped, like just everything needs to be done. Um, and I was just getting really frustrated because I was like, why can I not stay on top of this house? Like, why is it so gross right now? And I feel like I wash the dishes, and then by the time I wash them and wake up in the next morning, then they're dirty again, and I have so many other things that need to do, and I just feel like I'm back at square one and I can't get past square one, basically. Um, and I know this is a reality for all parents, all moms, like I totally understand that, but I've just been like it we're in a very, very sweet season, and I'm so grateful for it, and I know that it's just this is the season we're in with the age kids that we have, but it's also um an adjustment when you get used to like you know, keeping the house clean for different um, or I guess like keeping the house clean through different seasons and then going back to like a season of total dependency when you have another newborn. So, anyways, I've just been like navigating through some of that, but I was noticing myself just getting really frustrated um and kind of feeling like I've been failing in that department as like a wife and a mom. And so, anyways, I just had to like have a moment of I just started praying because I was like, why do I feel like this? Um, and I feel like the Lord just kind of revealed to me that I was I've been really trying to do all of this from a place of discipline on my own and disciplining myself, and it's just like not working, and it hasn't been enough. And um, I feel like he was just letting me know that I'm not coming with like a posture of servanthood and devotion and love and glory for the Lord in doing these things that he has given me to do for my family as a wife and a mom, and instead of been trying to just do it all by myself. Um, so anyways, this is kind of how this all came about. Obviously, we're gonna dive deeper into that, and just kind of what I feel like he's been teaching me over the last couple weeks through prayer, through reading my word, through the different things that I feel like he's had me study the last couple weeks when it comes to this. And so, anyways, I just really feel like Jesus has um blessed me and helped me a lot in this area, and I just feel um, I just feel like on my heart that it's a good one to share and talk about. Um, and I just hope and pray that it blesses somebody else also, um as we talk about it. So we're gonna jump in, but before I do my podcasts, as I'm sure you guys know, I just like to pray and just invite Jesus into the space and into the room um and into our hearts and all of the places, you know, into our souls, because we're souls on fire. Okay. Anyways, um, so really quickly, I just want to pray. Um, Jesus, thank you for bringing us together today. Uh, I just pray that this podcast and this conversation would bless others as it has blessed me, Lord. And I ask that your Holy Spirit would speak through me and that you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you want us to, Lord. Um, Jesus, just let your name be glorified and praised, and let all that we do be for you and you alone. We love you, and it's in your precious name we pray. Amen. Okie dokie. So today's not gonna be a super long podcast. Um, I think. Um you guys know I like to chat, so we'll see. But anyways, um I re Okay. Go ahead. See, it's a season I'm in, guys. I had a little baby on my lap the whole time and you didn't even know it. I just gotta say, he's such a little sweetheart. That was Kru Crew, and if you've met Kru crew, you know that he just like he's the sweetest little guy. I just love him. Anyways, okay. So again, hoping to keep it short, I just want to go over a couple thoughts that I feel like I've had over the last few weeks, the big idea of what I feel like Jesus has personally taught me, and then a couple just like follow-up points um and talking points. But let's first start with the big idea. So today's big idea is discipline without devotion to Jesus becomes feudal performance, and devotion without discipline becomes inconsistency. But when devotion to Christ fuels discipline, consistency is no longer fueled by pressure, it's sustained by relationship. So when I was originally thinking about this, um, I was kind of like, all right, so discipline doesn't really need to be my main focus. It shouldn't be my main focus. My devotion to Jesus Christ needs to be my main focus. And obviously, like, yes, that's true. Like, Jesus has to be your first and your everything. But as I kept praying and studying, um, God actually kind of showed me, like, no, you really need both equally, and they actually go hand in hand. Um, but before I show you the couple points that Jesus helped me to see and unravel and kind of understand, I want to quickly share the definitions of both devotion and discipline because I feel like um that kind of lays the foundation to better understand how they go hand in hand when we talk about it in a little bit. So the definition of devotion is wholehearted dedication, unwavering loyalty, commitment and love for God and his word. And then I also put in parentheses devoted with E D at the end, um, because they obviously both derive from the word devote. Um, and it's to be set apart for sacred purpose, which I thought was interesting. And then the definition of discipline is loving, purposeful training, instruction, and correction intended to foster spiritual maturity, character development, and righteousness. So now knowing both of these definitions, I feel like we can go into the couple points that Christ brought to my attention that I feel like he put on my heart to want to share with you guys. So, starting with point number one. Point number one, um, discipline alone can become and often will become self-serving. So external discipline without internal surrender will eventually lead to things like pride, burnout, legalism, empty religion, anxiety, depression, and honestly so many more things. And I feel like what it leads to can have a lot in common with one another, but I also feel like it's like what you're going through or what you're trying to discipline yourself in, right? Um, and so this is why we need our devotion to Christ to drive that discipline. We don't want to rely on ourselves for discipline because that's when burnout happens. So discipline driven by devotion flows from Christ and not our own self-reliance for strength to get this kind of stuff done, right? And this really made me think about the Proverbs 31 woman, um, and honestly made me look at how made me look at myself when I was standing at the kitchen counter the last couple weeks, and just like how I was feeling so overwhelmed and just like completely exhausted and overexerted. And I was just sitting there thinking, like, how the heck does this Proverbs 31 woman who like us has a ton on her plate? How is she getting all this crap done? Right, and um, not only get it done, but she does it with it says like strength and honor and dignity and joy, and I'm just like, wow, like how how are you doing it, girl? Um, anyways, obviously when you keep reading, you get to verse 30, and it tells us that a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. And so we know that she wasn't just doing it from her own strength or for her own glory, she was actually doing it from devotion and reliance and fear of the Lord, um, and for his glory, and that's how she was able to accomplish all these things and see all these things out that the Lord had put on her plate, right? And so discipline should flow from devotion to Christ. Um, but we also can't just have devotion alone by itself. Which brings me to my next point. Point number two. Um, devotion without discipline. I say um a lot. I need to stop doing that. Also, like, I say that a lot too. Anyways, devotion, point number two, devotion without discipline stays emotional. So fearing the Lord and loving Jesus and his word deeply is such a beautiful thing. It is so beautiful. But feelings alone are, as we know, especially if you're a woman, you know this, they're unstable. Okay. Um, and if my walk in love for Jesus only happens when I feel motivated, or when worship gives me goosebumps, or when life feels easy, or when I'm being acknowledged for what I'm doing, or when my emotions are cooperating, then my faith and devotion to Jesus becomes completely dependent upon my mood instead of being rooted in Christ. And so that's where discipline keeps us anchored when our emotions fluctuate. So we're starting to see how devotion and discipline aren't just like one thing or the other, or hey, do this and neglect this one. Um, but they actually go together and flow from one another when you are rooted in Christ. Which leads me to point number three. Guys, we are on a roll today. I we are just on track doing what we gotta do, getting in, getting out. And you know that's an accomplishment because if you know me, you know that I could yap up a storm. So, anyways, let me not get sidetracked here. Let's stay on track, Kelly. Um, point number three, discipline should flow from devotion, not replace it. So the goal isn't quote, try harder or I have to do this, or I need to do this for my own strength or for myself, whatever it looks like for you. The goal is intimacy and relationship with Jesus that produces obedience naturally. So we don't discipline ourselves to earn God's love, right? We discipline ourselves because we love him. And so the discipline and obedience is flowing from our devotion and love for him. And that brings me to point number four. And point number four is devotion fuels consistency. So when we genuinely encounter and trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit actually strengthens the discipline our flesh could never maintain alone. Um, as I'm sure you've heard also, I've heard the phrase consistency is key. And I actually feel like after doing this little study, I think it's more accurate to say that Christ is the key that unlocks consistency. So finally, going into point number five, um, discipline protects devotion. So devotion lights the fire within our souls, but discipline keeps that fire burning. So spiritual disciplines create space for intimacy with Jesus and room for the Holy Spirit to move. So prayer, fasting, scripture study, worship, silence, obedience, all of these um, not just as religious duties, but as rhythms, um, these keep our hearts connected to God and our souls on fire for the Lord. Now, this all sounds really good. Um, but if you're like me, I need a tangible way to help me understand and actually do what God's um revealed to me and given to me. So I also just wanted to share the four quick little tips that I feel like have been helping me and hopefully it'll help you too, um, and just help you to be devoted and disciplined in our Christian walks with Jesus. So, number one, open our Bibles. Um I know that seems like a really obvious one, but it's probably one of the most important ones is to just open our open our Bibles. Even when we don't feel like it, even when we have a million, gajillion, trillion, zillion other things going on and things that we could be doing, um we have to be opening God's word. The Bible is God's living, breathing truth, and in 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, it tells us that all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. And so if that's true, which we know it is because obviously the Bible is all truthful, then we have to be in his word and we have to be opening our Bibles, and I promise you that it will transform and refine our lives as his followers. Moving on to number two, pray. Um, again, seems like pretty obvious ones, but um sometimes it's not. Like sometimes it's easy to kind of overlook praying, or maybe maybe you don't know how to like pray. Um, I know I didn't know how to do it for a long time. And sometimes it's still hard for me to like sit and whether it's verbally talk to him out loud, even if it's like in my head, I feel like sometimes I lose my train of thought. I feel like one thing that helped me when I was first starting out trying to pray and talk to him was like writing it down in a notebook while I was, you know, either saying it out loud or in my mind, and that kind of helped me keep my train of thought and everything. Um but really I just I feel like God just wants us to talk to him, and it doesn't have to be anything fancy, it doesn't have to be like again, like he's so gracious and he's so good that he just wants you to talk to him, he just wants you to spend time with him, and so I would just talk to him all the time, I mean, all day, all night, through every situation and every season, and just ask and invite him into your heart and into your life so that he will transform you and reveal himself to you. Number three, um, obey quickly when the Holy Spirit convicts us in the small things. So again, I just feel like this is a tangible way um to be both devoted and disciplined, and I just feel like if we are repeatedly practicing obeying the small things that he convicts us of, eventually over time, I think it'll build a faithful habit to obey the bigger things that he convicts us of. So finally, moving on to number four, the last one, um, heart checks. So we should be constantly asking ourselves why we're doing what we're doing, who we're doing it for, and who is ultimately going to be glorified in the end. So are we doing it whatever that it is for you in your life? Um, are you doing it for yourself? Um, are you doing it for your own glory and from your own strength and self-reliance? Or are you doing it for Jesus' glory from the Holy Spirit's strength and from reliance on him? So, yeah, those are just four little tips that I feel like the Lord gave me that have been really helping me out um and have given me a tangible way to kind of grasp um both devotion and discipline and apply them to my life. So yeah, I just wanted to share those. Um, and other than that, we're pretty much done. Uh, I did just want to share one other quick thing before I close out, and I just thought it was interesting. It was new to me, and so while I was studying, I kind of came across this and I really enjoyed it. So I'm just gonna share. So while I was studying these two words, um dis discipline and devotion, and their meaning and what it all means for my life as a follower of Jesus, um, I found that the word disciple kept popping up with both of the words. So, anyways, as I was digging into all of it, um, what I ended up finding was that the word discipline actually derives from the word disciple. And both of these come from the Latin word desir. Hope I'm saying that right. Um, and that means to learn. And it's also closely related to discipleus, hope I'm saying that right as well. Um, and that means pupil, student, or follower, which is the root word of disciple. And so because both of these track back to desir, which means to learn, discipline is etymologically tied to concepts of self-education, curiosity, and following a master teacher. And so what I learned from this, and what I feel like Jesus was wanting me to know and revealing to me, is that you can't separate discipline from discipleship, because the very word discipline comes from the root word disciple. And we know that a disciple is someone who follows Jesus, learns from him, and becomes like him, right? So that means that biblical discipline was never meant to exist apart from devotion to Christ. Biblical discipline is the daily posture of someone devoted to following Jesus, and it's about training our hearts to stay rooted in Jesus even when our feelings fluctuate. And without discipleship and devotion, discipline just becomes self-improvement, routine, and feudal performance. But without discipline, discipleship and devotion become shallow, emotional, and inconsistent. And so these two directly go hand in hand with each other. And a true disciple develops discipline from their reverence, love, and devotion to their master teacher, their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I just had to share that because it, again, it was new to me. And I just thought it was so cool. And again, the part that just like really stuck out to me was that biblical discipline was never meant to exist apart from devotion to Christ. And I just feel like that is really, really what God was trying to show me and teach me over these last few weeks in how I was feeling, is that like, no, Kelly, it's not about you simply just like disciplining yourself, and it's not about you just only being devoted to me. Because I think originally when I started studying this, I think that was kind of where I was leaning towards, maybe, was like, okay, instead of trying to discipline myself, I just need to look at this as like I'm devoting myself to Christ, right? Um, but again, through studying all of this, discipline weighs heavier on the side of like, you know, strictness and rule following and all these different things, but then devotion airs more on the side of like emotion and feelings and all the things. And so through studying these, I've kind of learned that you need both, and they both balance one another out. And so, anyways, I just thought that was really cool and something that I didn't know, and so yeah, I thought I'd share. And I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did, and how much I geeked out over that. So, um, so yeah, anyways, that's all I have this time. I guess I didn't keep it as short as I thought I was going to. Um, but that's okay, because I feel like God's gonna do something with it, and I pray that he does something with it for you through this podcast and this word as much as he did for me, because it just really has been blessing me and helping me out over the last couple weeks. And so yeah, that's all I got. So thanks so much for being here and taking the time out of your day to spend with me, but even better to spend with Jesus. And um, yeah, thanks for being a part of the Souls On Foundation. Fire fam. I'm excited to be back. Um, be praying for me. Just um that God that I would just rely on God's strength um to do this, honestly. That's what we've been talking about, right? And so I would just appreciate it if you pray for me. I hope you know that I pray for everybody who listens. I pray that it impacts you, the one person listening. Um, I really do love you guys. It's not just like I know I can't see you or anything, but I do really appreciate you being here, and I really enjoy talking about Jesus with you guys. And um, yeah, I just pray that this is um doing what I feel like God has put on my heart to do. So, anyways, okay, I'm done. Done talking, done, done, done, done. So, anyways, I'm excited. I'm looking forward to the next one, and we will talk then. Alright, bye guys.