Discipline to Win

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 

– 1 Timothy 4:8

The Super Bowl is one of the world’s most-watched sporting events. And what does it take to play in it? Excluding the preseason games and playoffs, the 2024-25 NFL schedule covers 272 matchups involving 18 weeks of hard-hitting competition. Moreover, a date to The Big Game calls for intense discipline with countless hours of on-field practice, classroom study, and game-tape review.

Tom Brady understands how discipline and perseverance separate champions from the runners-up. Love him or loath him, Brady — who won seven Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. And throughout his career he followed an intense, year-round training regimen involving diet and exercise, plus an ongoing focus on football fundamentals. Brady took nothing for granted, and he conditioned himself to expect the unexpected on the field:

“You push your body to the limits, but you have to train your body to deal with the limits,” he explained. “If you don't play to win don't play at all.”

The Bible also endorses the value of discipline and training. For Christ-followers like you and me, that means developing and using our God-given gifts and talents to make a positive difference in our community and throughout the world. For example, we’re called to explain the basis of our faith to anyone who asks us. But how can we answer questions from a neighbor or co-worker if we don’t set aside time each day to read the Scriptures to know what we’re talking about? Disciplined bible study is also a great way to grow closer to God by developing the ability to listen for His voice. Moreover, it helps us to discern right from wrong when faced by those modern-day scenarios that are so rarely black or white. 

In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul uses the sport of long distance running to illustrate the value of spiritual discipline:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Whether it’s crossing the finish line or the goal line, it takes a disciplined regimen to win the race or make it to the Super Bowl. Likewise, it takes discipline and endurance for Christ-followers to become the faith-driven champions God wants them to be: 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship,” we read in Romans 12. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”