Self Discipline

SAT, JAN. 9, 1988, 6:46 AM
FARM, STUDY

As long as you are wasting time that should be given to Me… thinking about yourself and your gluttonies… I shall offer you some thoughts in a more positive vein. The answer to the discomfort you ponder is, obviously, self discipline. What do I have to tell you about self discipline?

As you suspect there are different qualities of self discipline. Lowest quality is that developed by and dependent solely on the mind. Highest quality is, naturally, that which develops from the spirit, involving the whole person, but definitely being coordinated and “managed” by spirit. Let’s focus on this high quality mode.

The basis of this high quality self discipline is the conscious knowledge that you have been created for a relatively short time in the earth, in a body that is subject to deterioration. Your time in the earth should be fundamentally dedicated to Me, but I give you back the freedom and capacity to accomplish and thus to enjoy this earth life. Though there are lessons to be learned from bodily disabilities it is foolish to induce unnecessary ones. Rather, earth life can be more productive and much happier if your body is functioning well, and if you are taking proper care of it.

(Your attention is very poor this morning. Your being here is a nice balance of My offering and your wanting to be here. Please don’t waste the opportunity.)

You have done relatively well with this privilege of keeping your body and mind in good working order. Yet you know that since before Christmas you have been slowly allowing gluttonies to increase, and your self discipline is weakening. This is as good a time as any to restore yourself to a better balance.

Sacrifice is part of self discipline. However, to be effective the sacrifice should have a spiritual focus and purpose. You shall give up whatever you decide to give up for a better relationship with Me, with Lenore, and with Friends and associates. You should appreciate the changes in your body that are signalling improvement. You should regard the losses of food and drink as symbols of your desire to be all that I want you to be rather than just losses of pleasure. Be conscious and appreciative of what you do eat and drink rather than missing the excess.

Balances need not always be the same, so you needn’t set any regimen in stone. I do urge you to have a continuing spiritual purpose, however. Set and recognize a purpose that is higher than just not snacking, not drinking continuously. The purpose is to be the best servant of Mine you can be, and this can be accomplished by positive actions and motivations, not merely denials of excess. It is as important for you to get this study of yours (which, of course, you share with Me, since most of My Teachings come to you here) into respectable condition. You can see that some time and effort can make this a much more pleasant and productive place. Yet it is easier to let it remain in this disheveled state. Self discipline for a worthy purpose is what is needed. I urge you to do what you know you should do.

Self discipline is most effective and most satisfying if it is shared with Me… even shared with some others. I am quite willing to be part of your life and not just in the “religious” aspects. Include Me in more of what you do, and you shall be pleased with the consequences. The purpose of these times of Teaching is to help you see that I am willing to be part of all that you attempt. Only infrequently will I intervene to change natural circumstances, but My invited presence turns all that you do into better quality “stuff.” And this is certainly true of circumstances of self discipline.