His teaching very much aligns with the pursuit of fruit.
Hebrews 12:11 explains, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful..."
Can I just pause there? If you are looking for a life with minimal pain, DO NOT PURSUE FRUIT. The pursuit of fruit of any kind demands discipline, and even the Bible reveals the reality that discipline is painful. Once we can press past that discomfort, set our minds, and make a decision that we are ok with some productive pain, then we can finish.
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. However, later on it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
There have been so many times in my life when I have been tempted to stop and settle as soon as my circumstances have become uncomfortable, but as soon as I am able to jump over the hurdle of the pain of discipline, I do eventually get my fruit. And jumping over that threshold to press past the pain is a choice we have the power to make.
We make choices now that will produce fruit later. We sow seed like no one else through discipline now, so we can reap fruit like no one else in the future.
Can I just pause there? If you are looking for a life with minimal pain, DO NOT PURSUE FRUIT. The pursuit of fruit of any kind demands discipline, and even the Bible reveals the reality that discipline is painful. Once we can press past that discomfort, set our minds, and make a decision that we are ok with some productive pain, then we can finish.
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. However, later on it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
There have been so many times in my life when I have been tempted to stop and settle as soon as my circumstances have become uncomfortable, but as soon as I am able to jump over the hurdle of the pain of discipline, I do eventually get my fruit. And jumping over that threshold to press past the pain is a choice we have the power to make.
We make choices now that will produce fruit later. We sow seed like no one else through discipline now, so we can reap fruit like no one else in the future.
For our family, this has been a financial concept we have lived out over recent years. We are so overjoyed to share that we are officially debt free! After $64,000 of debt and 3.5 years of financial struggle and pain, we are free! And as we stand in our freedom we declare that every painful choice was worth this fruit.
We chose to live like no one else during these past 3.5 years so someday we can live like no one else. We lived on one income, stayed faithfully committed to our cash budget, and prayerfully considered how to spend each and every penny. We learned practical instruction about financial freedom through Dave Ramsey's course Financial Peace University and implemented these principles into our lifestyle. We put things back at the grocery store when we didn't have the cash to pay for it. We minimized outings, vacations, window shopping, and financial extras as we focused on living below our means so we could life a debt free life. We said no to our emotions so someday we can say yes. And it has been painful. We have chosen to discipline ourselves so that, later on, we can produce a harvest.
Not only is discipline painful, but it demands intense self-control and focus which require energy. The more tired we are, the weaker we are and the weaker we are, the easier it is to break our commitments, to get impatient, to be unkind, to allow our emotions to make impulsive and often foolish decisions. Whether it is with finances, food, words, attitude, lifestyle, or relationships, energy and holistic health will set a foundation for this pursuit of fruit. Now that we are enjoying the fruit of pressing past financial pain, I am excited to apply this life changing idea to other areas of my life.
I am excited to maintain this focus on financial peace as I have more energy than I have had in years physically and now financially as we are relieved of the burden of a negative financial story. Everything we make is now building towards the incredible future God has for our family.
To God be the glory!
Not only is discipline painful, but it demands intense self-control and focus which require energy. The more tired we are, the weaker we are and the weaker we are, the easier it is to break our commitments, to get impatient, to be unkind, to allow our emotions to make impulsive and often foolish decisions. Whether it is with finances, food, words, attitude, lifestyle, or relationships, energy and holistic health will set a foundation for this pursuit of fruit. Now that we are enjoying the fruit of pressing past financial pain, I am excited to apply this life changing idea to other areas of my life.
I am excited to maintain this focus on financial peace as I have more energy than I have had in years physically and now financially as we are relieved of the burden of a negative financial story. Everything we make is now building towards the incredible future God has for our family.
To God be the glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment