Thoughts on Discipline, Part 3

This is Part 3 in a series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

The need to be a good steward of our lives brings me to the verse that I consider to be the most hard-hitting:

2 Timothy 1:7 - God did not give us a spirit of fear. Rather, God gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.

To have a spirit of fear is to draw back from being all that you are created to be. Christians are encouraged to be good stewards of what God has given them (Matthew 25:14-30). We are promised that more responsibility will be given to us as we demonstrate our ability to care for what we have been given. Clearly, God intends for us to take care of what we have. If I do not have adequate discipline in my life, I can hinder myself from doing all that God has called me to do.
Other translations use the words sound mind in place of self-discipline. A sound mind is level-headed, able to act clearly in tense situations. I particularly like Matthew Henry's description of a sound mind as a quiet mind. Discipline gives structure; lack of discipline leads to chaos. If I am undisciplined, how quiet is my mind? Am I given over to stress and worry as my life spirals out of control? If I have discipline, I am more likely to be calm and ordered. I would also make the argument that if I have discipline, I am more likely to hear God's voice, which is characterized as being a still small voice. If my life and my mind is chaotic, how can I be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10)? I must have discipline in my life. I must be willing to have discipline over my actions in order to avoid receiving discipline from God. As 2 Timothy 1:7 says, God has given me a spirit of self-discipline. Through Christ, I can do all things (Philippians 4:13).
This brings me to the next question that I have for myself: what is the discipline that God would have me follow? What does the Bible say on how I should live? How much of what I do is because God has told me to do it? How much do I do because I want to do it? How much do I do because someone else has told me to do it? I believe the most efficient way to try to find these answers is to make a list of areas I know I need work on and then research each part. Any recommendations on good books to read concerning this?

Thoughts on Discipline, Part 2

To read Part 1, click here.
In my previous post, I explained how discipline can mean a set way to live. I am further expounding on this idea, using Scriptures as a guideline:

Proverbs 1:2 - a disciplined life is a life that follows what is right, just and fair; only a fool would despise discipline
Proverbs 5:23 - the wicked die from lack of discipline
Proverbs 12:1 - whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates discipline is stupid
Proverbs 15:10 - whoever ignores discipline hates himself

These verses in Proverbs deal with the repercussions of not having discipline. According to these verses, those who hate or reject discipline are classified as being fools, stupid. The consequences of those attitudes lead to self-hatred and even death. An easy way to explain this is this example - if I don't follow the discipline for driving my car (keep my eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, buckle my seat belt), I can die. If I reject the discipline for healthy living (eat right, exercise), there are many people who would say that I am stupid for not taking care of myself. My resulting poor quality of life could cause me to hate myself.
Discipline is viewed primarily as a punishment rather than a way of life because people are naturally selfish. We would much rather deal with the consequences at a later date than to do the right thing now, if the right thing requires a disciplined life. Morals, absolutes, and a disciplined life are all regarded as being outdated. Billions of dollars are spent each year to assist us in avoiding the discipline (re: consequences) for our lack of discipline in our lives.
This worldly attitude has even permeated many churches. I dare say that the lack of discipline present in many of the churches is because too many Christians use God's grace as a way to absolve themselves from living a more disciplined life. It is true that God does forgive us when we sin, and God doesn't expect perfection. He knows our frailty better than we know it ourselves. Yet knowing that God will forgive us does not give us the right to abuse His grace. We are commanded to be good stewards of what God has given us. One of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity is that life is a gift from God. More thoughts on this follow in part 3.

Thoughts on Discipline, Part 1

I was originally going to have this all as one post, but I realized that it was going to be terribly long. I have therefore split this up into three parts. Here is Part 2 and Part 3.
As a result of my New Year's resolution, I've started my readings regarding discipline. So far, I've kept my readings to Scriptures listed under the word discipline. A couple of my finds:

Job 5:17 - discipline from God is a blessing
Psalm 94:12 - God's discipline provides relief from days of trouble

I have always thought of discipline as meaning a punishment for doing something wrong. Indeed, in most of the verses listed for discipline, the Greek or Hebrew word used for discipline does mean to chastise or punish. But why am I supposed to be grateful for discipline? How can discipline possibly be seen as a blessing? I looked up the definition for discipline in Webster's and found that the first definition for discipline is "training to act in accordance with rules." Going by this definition, discipline can be viewed as a way of life, rather than a consequence for an action. I decided to go with this definition and re-think how I viewed the above verses.
If, using the above Webster's definition, discipline is a way to train in order to know how to act, then I can (and should) be grateful for the discipline. For example, every soldier must follow a specific discipline. This discipline, or way of life, ensures that everyone knows exactly what to do. While the soldier undoubtedly doesn't enjoy following the discipline at all times, he will have moments when the training he received as part of his discipline saves his life. He is then able to see how his training saved his life and he can be thankful that he knew how to respond correctly.
In the same manner, Christians are disciples of Christ, because we follow a specific discipline given by Christ on how to live. Our discipline shows us how to live our lives in a manner pleasing to God. Since God is our Creator, He knows the best way for us to live our lives. He knows exactly what we need in order to live our life to the fullest. When we don't follow His discipline for our lives, we can receive discipline from God. This discipline from God should serve to guide us back to the discipline He wants us to follow for our lives. I can choose to resent being disciplined by God for my willful actions, or I can choose to be grateful that God cares enough about His creation to give a discipline that shows the way to live as He designed.