There it is. Yes, providing discipline is a part of leading. It is a very unpleasant part of leadership but, it is necessary and a vital part of the learning process for those we lead. Some say that to discipline those who deviate from the path of the team, family, or organization contradicts God's nature or Christ's nature. But the opposite is true. Christ is love; but Christ is also righteous. He acts not only with love, but also with integrity and justice. As Christians, we are called to discipline.
Hebrews 12:5-11 MSG advises us about our acceptance of God's discipline, "So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God."
In Proverbs 3:11 MSG, "But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this."
So, why must we provide discipline? What is its purpose?
To motivate individuals within our team to change their behavior. In Leviticus 26:14-16 God, through his guidance of the Israelites, warns us what would happen if we refuse to obey Him, "But if you refuse to obey me and won’t observe my commandments, despising my decrees and holding my laws in contempt by your disobedience, making a shambles of my covenant, I’ll step in and pour on the trouble: debilitating disease, high fevers, blindness, your life leaking out bit by bit." While we do not have the authority to administer diseases and physical ailments, we can administer progressive consequences that range from verbal and written warnings, docking pay, removing privileges, limiting playing time, assigning additional work, all the way to suspensions and eventual termination of employment or removal from the team or group.
To make others within the team aware of poor choices, deter them from making or repeating those choices, or to eliminate the harmful influence that might lead others to poor decision-making. Deuteronomy 13:11 says, "Every man, woman, and child in Israel will hear what’s been done and be in awe. No one will dare to do an evil thing like this again." While we do not get pleasure from disciplining, there is value in others within the group learning from the mistakes being made. Disciplining warns others that such conduct is unacceptable and has serious consequences. Negative consequences certainly deter most from partaking in the bad behavior of others.
To preserve the integrity, honor, and respect of the organization among those who belong to it and those who view it from the outside. Exodus 32:25 NIV demonstrates that this is not a new challenge, as when Moses returned from conversing with God on Mt. Sinai, he found the Israelites had defied God. It says, "Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies." No one wants their organization or family to become a joke and not be taken seriously. Instead, we want there to be no question when it comes to what we stand for and what it is that is our purpose.
Dear Father,
Not a one of us enjoys disciplining others, but we accept it as part of leadership. We pray that all of us could join in common beliefs and purpose and obey the laws, rules, policies, and regulations of our organizations. Please help us to not only follow the rules, but to communicate them clearly to those among us. We pray that when we have to discipline our friends, coworkers, children, students, and teammates, that we do so with the right heart. Help us to convey the purpose of the discipline so that optimum learning takes place. Please help us to be strong and not become weak and begin to tolerate bad behavior that hurts our organization or its purpose. It is in the strong name of Jesus we pray... Amen.
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