“Doing the Things We Don’t Want to Do”

Tuesday, October 03, 2017

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”"  (Hebrews 12:11)
 
Bob Toledo, the head football coach at UCLA, once told his players: “I make you do things you don’t want to do so that you can become the players you want to be.”  That thought is so true in many phases of life.  The Olympic star, the successful businessman, the PHD, and the accomplished author all have one thing in common, namely hours of painful discipline.  They willingly submit to such so they can be the person they want to be.
 
God wants us live lives that honor Him in speech, action, and attitude. We must make it our desire to be the kind of person He wants us to be.  In order to arrive at the goal, we must change some of those bad habits.  Change is difficult and requires hours of training and discipline.  God doesn’t zap us with a magic potion that turns frogs into princes. Instead, he provides the tools necessary to achieve the task.
 
First, God provides a support group of Christians to allow for accountability.  "“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."” (James 5:16)  Confessions don’t come easy because of embarrassment, pride, and fear of how others will react, but it may be the only road to reaching the goal. 
 
Second, he asks us to exercise daily self-discipline and radical surgery to rid ourselves of those bad habits.  "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- "where 'their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'" “(Mark 9:43-44)  Such a challenge will tax the very heart and soul of an individual but is necessary to have the victory.
 
Third, God allows us to be subject to trials and difficulties of this world.  The loss of a family member, economic loss, or sudden loss of health can either make us or break us. There may be occasions when we don’t feel like persevering, but we must!  God allows us to be tried so that He can sharpen our character and strengthen our faith!
 
Who do you really want to be?  God has a wonderful plan for you.  He loves you enough to provide all that is necessary to succeed.  Accept the challenge and one day you will reap the rewards.
 
by George Slover
 


 

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