Tackle Each Day as It Comes

“Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day’s work absorb your entire energies, and satisfy your widest ambition.”

—SIR WILLIAM OSLER

Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.

—Acts 24:16

Duties we ignore can pile up and soon feel overwhelming, but daily discipline keeps us in a place to handle life peaceably. God’s Word states no discipline for the present seems joyous, but later on it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness (see Hebrews 12:11). In other words, it may be a challenge and require discipline to do what is right now, but the knowledge we have done what we were supposed to do is what gives us peace.

A little daily discipline protects us from suddenly finding we have more to do than is humanly possible. If we put things off that need to be done now, that does not prevent them from needing to be done. It only adds today’s duties to tomorrow; and day after day, things pile up and soon life is so confusing, frustrating, and overwhelming, we get depressed and discouraged.

Discipline means we must frequently say no to the fleshly desire to put things off that need to be done now. The apostle Paul said, “I die daily.” He did not mean he daily experienced physical death, but he did say no to himself regularly if what he desired did not agree with what the Holy Spirit was leading him to do.

If your discipline muscles are weak from lack of use, I recommend you begin getting them in shape today. They may hurt and feel sore at first, but soon you will be enjoying a peaceful, simple life.