Discipline is not a matter of earning points, not a matter of righteousness; it is a matter of wisdom about how to live. And if you don’t practice your disciplines then your performance will suffer. But you don’t practice disciplines to modify your behavior. You practice them to change who you are on the inside. We must take care of these; we must find the means, whatever they may be. And they vary considerably with individuals, what we need; it is not all the same, there are personality differences, lots of things could be said on these things. I would just refer you to The Spirit of the Disciplines, or Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline to help you get into some of these details.3 Let me conclude with this prayer for you; my prayer and hope for each of you is that you would have a rich life of joy and power, abundant and supernatural interventions and results, and a constant clear vision of never-ending life in God’s world before you, and of the everlasting significance of your work, day by day, a radiant life and a radiant death.
Dr. Willard is a professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California. He is the author of numerous books including Knowing Christ Today (2009), The Great Omission (2006), Renovation of the Heart (2002), Hearing God (2009), The Divine Conspiracy (1998), and The Spirit of the Disciplines (1988). Visit the author online at www.dwillard.org. This essay is the third in a 3-part series adapted from comments by Dallas Willard to attendees at the CLS Annual Meeting in 2002. They appear verbatim, edited only for length by CLS member Forrest Latta with accompanying introduction. Forrest Latta is a litigator with Burr & Forman LLP who handles commercial and insurance cases and leads the firm’s appellate practice. He has been an active part of CLS since 1999.
Endnotes 1 Matthew 22:42 2 2 Peter 1:5-8 3 Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines (Harper 1990); Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline (Harper 1988).
Christian Legal Society
2013 National Conference October 17-20, 2013 Hilton Clearwater Beach, Florida
Join us for learning, fellowship and refreshment 99 Build relationships with other Christian legal professionals and law students from across the country 99 Participate in a broad range of seminars, CLEs, and workshops 99 Enjoy the beautiful sandy beaches of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico
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The Christian Lawyer | Winter 2012