“Life is a sum of all your choices”. So, what are you doing today?”– Albert Camus

Introduction:

  • You are going to experience a lot of pain in your life.  (John 16:33)
  • Much of the time is not your fault.
  • Some pain is within your control.
  • This or That?  You get to choose your pain.

Discipline:  “choosing between what you want most and what you want now.”

Choosing the pain of Discipline over the pain of Regret  (Romans 7:15-19,24-25)

  • How difficult it is to do what’s right.
  • On our own, over time we are prone to making wrong choices.
  • Who can help me? The answer is in Jesus Christ.

Journeying with the Apostle Paul: The Race (I Corinthians 9:24-28)

  • Run to win.
  • You must be disciplined in training. (I Corinthians 9:25)
  • We run not to receive a temporary reward.
  • We run to honor and glorify the one who gave his life for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Two Determining Questions

  1. What do you want most in your life right now?
  2. What do you need to choose now to achieve what you want most?

Running with purpose in every step.

  • Ill. – the yard
  • The more vulnerable you are in a certain area, the more you need to walk with purpose.

Christ in Me: the source of power, strength, courage (Philippians 4:13)

  • If you do not do something NOW about what you want MOST, that will most likely become your greatest regret.
  • The greatest way to deal with regret is by choosing discipline
  • Christ is stronger than the wrong desires in me.  (Philippians 3:13)

God is a redeeming God.