The Holy Great-Martyr and Healer Panteleimon (286-305); Our Holy Father Clement the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Okhrid (910)
2 Timothy 2:1-10; John 15:17-16:2
Read 2 Timothy 2:1-10
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In high school, I played on the senior baseball team for all four years as a first baseman. In those four years, one of the most important things I had to learn was plate discipline. When you are at bat, all you want to do is hit that ball long and hard but not every pitch is going to enable you to accomplish that goal. Discipline is essential; you need to be selective about what you swing at and wait for something that is in the strike zone.
To be a good and faithful soldier of Christ, one requires discipline to stay on the Christian path and not be easily pulled away by the passing pleasures of this life. Being a disciplined disciple of Christ comes about through our obedience to God, denial of self, and struggle against the passions.
Only with discipline will we be able to endure the hardships that will come as soldiers of Christ.