Why are people so afraid of the practice of discipline?

on Apr 15, 2026

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: When I worked for a corporation, it withheld my taxes. It always made me angry. I felt I should be given the right to oversee my income. Then I became self-employed and didn’t have the discipline to set aside funds to pay my taxes. I spent every dollar I had and then came up short. It was a hard lesson in the process of learning discipline. Why are people so afraid of the practice of discipline? – O.T.

A: In the United States, April 15 is a day dreaded by most Americans – the day when income taxes are due. Often, there’s a frantic rush to complete the forms that should have been done much earlier, forgetting that late payments are subject to penalties.

Jesus told His followers to “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). At such a time of year when we are preoccupied with what we owe the government, we would benefit by thinking about what is due to God. We owe God everything! We’ve been bought and paid for with a terrible price: the broken body and shed blood of God’s Son.

If we have trusted in Christ to save us from our sins, God has a right to expect that we would render certain things unto Him. He wants His people to be disciplined in body and spirit. Discipline helps condition us for a life of usefulness. In God’s wisdom, He knows that an uncontrolled life is an unhappy life, so He puts reins on our wayward souls that they may be directed into the paths of obedience to God.

We are commanded to present God with our tithes and offerings. God describes all of this as “reasonable,” and so it is. But more so, we should know the joy and pleasure of giving liberally to God because of what He has given to us – life, salvation, and the hope of Heaven.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)