There was a brief story that made minor headlines this week that most people probably missed – I may have too, but was lucky enough to catch it on the news. The country of Germany has decided to once again print the book ‘Mein Kampf’ for the first time since World War II. What is Mein Kampf? And who wrote it? Mein Kampf – translated in English means ‘My Struggle’. It was written in 1922 by a young German named Adolf Hitler. Hitler had been a soldier in World War I – which had just ended some 4 years earlier. And now, this young unknown Austrian born German writes his political ideology for all to see. It is the beginning of his rise to power, eventually leading to the bloodiest and costliest war that the world has ever seen. It is also shows his bigotry and hatred toward the Jews, leading to the Holocaust.
History has repeatedly witnessed the combination of great power without moral restraint, and the results have always been disastrous. If we are not disciplined in our own lives, we can suffer from our own moral decay. It may not be on the scope and scale of a Hitler, but it can have disastourous effects on our lives and the lives of those around us.
If you want to be an effective leader, employee, spouse or parent you should identify the habits you need to build into your life that are beneficial and impactful — habits such as physical fitness, balance between work and home, financial and personal accountability, pro-activity in the workplace, and the like. And the most important habit should be the reading of God’s Word and spending time with Him in prayer. If you are not filling your time with the above mentioned, what are you filling your time with?
Philippians 4:8 – Christian brothers, keep your minds thinking about whatever is true, whatever is respected, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever can be loved, and whatever is well thought of. If there is anything good and worth giving thanks for, think about these things.
“Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, help us to be disciplined people. Help us create habits that make us better people, and habits that ultimately bring us closer to you. It’s in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.”