Echoes From the Campfire

[Don Adkisson]

       “A disciplined calmness seemed to permeate the man.”
                    --Henry McLaughlin  (Journey to Riverbend)

       "Lord, happy is the man You discipline and teach from Your law."
                    --Psalm 94:12 (HCSB)
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          "Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.'"  --Numbers 13:30, NKJV

Discipline!  What a term.  Most people cringe when they see or hear that word, yet it is vital to our well-being.  Now there are all kinds of discipline, and many books have been written on the subject.  When we think of discipline we normally think of pain and sometimes, though wrongly, punishment.  
     I would ask you to read Numbers 13 and 14.  We see two types of people, those who have the discipline of faith and those who do not.  Someone has said that without discipline of some sort "there is disorder, chaos, anxiety, and randomness."  When you read these verses, you see the undisciplined multitude of anxious unbelievers.  See, there are two ways of facing life:  the way of fear and the way of faith.  The way of faith takes a disciplined thought-life and a disciplined faith.  John Ellis tells us that "Life consists of a long series of problems that require decisions--both personal and professional."  To handle these properly and efficiently we need the discipline of faith.
     Those without discipline of mind, of thought, of voice, of faith.... too often go off the handle.  They blurt out stupidities.  I sent a little note to my daughters yesterday:  "We have got to stop saying 'How stupid can you be?'  It seems that too many people are seeing this as a challenge."  Listen to them, oh my, but guard the ears and be prepared for the profanity.  Undisciplined lips.
     Let's look at what takes place after the declaration of faith from Caleb and Joshua.  First, the people of Israel complained to Moses and said, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt!  Or if only we had died in this wilderness!" (Numbers 14:2, NKJV)  If only they knew that they would soon be given the chance to die in the wilderness for they would be required to wander until that generation had passed.  There were more grumblings and rumblings from this undisciplined mob.  They went so far as to say, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." (14:4)  
     The men of faith, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, hurt, shamed, and knowing that the Lord would not be pleased.  Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes and proclaimed again their faith and warned the people.  Then the people, the undisciplined, those with lack of faith, the loud-mouths spewed hate from their mouths, "And all the congregation said to stone them with stones...." (14:10)   We see that the undisciplined do not want to hear the truth, the word of faith.  Read on, see the great discipline of Moses, and read of the Lord coming upon the scene.
     Think of yourself, is your faith disciplined?  Are you scatterbrained, or are your thoughts disciplined and on the Lord?  Let me close this morning with a little prayer by former Air Force Chaplain, John R. Ellis:  "Lord God, help me to accept the problems of life as a challenge.  Temper the challenge with courage and give me faith to know from whence comes my strength.  Amen."  In other words, let me walk through this life with the discipline of faith.
           D.C. Adkisson