Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7, ESV)
“What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word discipline?” I was teaching a leadership class to a group of student-athletes at Grand Canyon University, and in one of our sessions, that was my opening question.
For some, their first thought was punishment; for others, self-control came to mind. One student thought of “the area in which you excel.” With a bit of prompting, someone came up with “education.”
All of those are correct, but my first thought, I told them, was a disciple.
I went on to say that in the Bible, disciple means student, learner, and pupil. We get our word from Latin, which has the exact definition.
I explained that discipline is what is done for us to help us be better. Sometimes that is through what seems like punishment. Even self-discipline can feel that way.
Their thoughts on the word disciple included “followers of Jesus,” which is true. But you can also be a disciple of someone else.
When it comes to golf, I’m a disciple of Ernest Jones.
“Who?” you ask. I’ll say he was the quintessential teacher of swinging the club.
I never met Ernest Jones, but his disciples included the man who taught Seve Ballesteros. They also included Jim Flick, who taught Jack Nicklaus – and me, though not at the same time, nor with the same outcomes.
Another disciple of Jones was my father. “Swing the clubhead,” he would say as he demonstrated. And it worked.
The way disciples learn is by imitation. When I took a few lessons with Mr. Flick, there was more showing than telling. When Jesus said, “follow me,” he meant, “do what I do.”
Fortunately, I could imitate my father – who imitated Jesus and Jones – in both life and golf. He spoke words about golf to me, but more importantly, he spoke the word of God.
Still today, I imitate his faith. He demonstrated faith in Jesus throughout his life despite many tough challenges.
Whom do you imitate? May you be a person who imitates Jesus, and may you be an outstanding disciple.
Prayer: Father, we would be followers – imitators – of Jesus. May we faithfully imitate his life, love, and obedience, and may you be glorified in everything we say and do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.