For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
—Hebrews 12:11
We should look to the future, determine what we want to see happen, and then discipline ourselves in order that we may have it. We must not buy into the lie that we should only live for the moment or that the present is all we have. We also have a future to consider, and we need to begin to live with an eye toward "afterward," toward the "later on" times. We have to begin to care just as much or more about later on than we care about right now.
If you want to be thinner when the time comes to wear your swimsuit in June, you need to start eating healthily and exercising before summer arrives. If you want to be able to afford a new car next year, you need to work toward getting out of debt right now. If you dream of living in a nice, clean, orderly home, you have to clear out the clutter and clean it up!
Discipline may not be pleasant for your flesh while you're doing it, but it will give you a tremendous sense of satisfaction in your soul—the satisfaction that comes from knowing you are making good choices. If you will pay the price to be disciplined now, you will enjoy rewards later. If you don't pay the price now to do what is right, then you'll suffer the consequences of an undisciplined life later.
You can pay now or you can pay later, but at some point, we all reap the harvest of the choices we've made. We can't simply wish our lives were different; we have to press through laziness, fleshly desires, and bad attitudes and refuse to give up on the discipline that will yield good fruit later on. If there is something you want to see happen in your future, start disciplining yourself toward it now, and later on you will enjoy the fruit of it.
Trust in Him: God's Word in Hebrews 12:11 says “no discipline brings joy…but afterwards….” If you discipline yourself now, you can trust that He'll bring you great reward afterward.
A Sale on Sparrows
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10:29–31
When Jesus wanted to highlight the importance and value of our lives to God—to teach us that we can trust Him because of His love and care for us—He used the example of sparrows. These common birds had little value in the marketplace. The farthing was one of the smallest coins in circulation at the time, barely more than a mite. You could buy two sparrows for one farthing (Matthew 10:29), and Luke 12:6 tells us that if you had two farthings, the seller would throw in an extra sparrow so you got five for the price of four: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?”
Yet these birds that were considered almost worthless by men were of note to God. He feeds and provides for the birds as part of His creation and promises to do the same for us. It is an insult to the love of God for us to live in worry and fear. Trusting God does not mean that things will never go wrong. In fact there are times when it is our obedience to Him that leads us into times of struggle and pain.
But there is never a time when we are apart from His love and care. The faith that we have in Him is not based on us, but on His nature. And the God who cares for sparrows holds us in high regard. He cares about what happens to us. “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows” (Exodus 3:7).
Matthew 10:29–31
When Jesus wanted to highlight the importance and value of our lives to God—to teach us that we can trust Him because of His love and care for us—He used the example of sparrows. These common birds had little value in the marketplace. The farthing was one of the smallest coins in circulation at the time, barely more than a mite. You could buy two sparrows for one farthing (Matthew 10:29), and Luke 12:6 tells us that if you had two farthings, the seller would throw in an extra sparrow so you got five for the price of four: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?”
Yet these birds that were considered almost worthless by men were of note to God. He feeds and provides for the birds as part of His creation and promises to do the same for us. It is an insult to the love of God for us to live in worry and fear. Trusting God does not mean that things will never go wrong. In fact there are times when it is our obedience to Him that leads us into times of struggle and pain.
But there is never a time when we are apart from His love and care. The faith that we have in Him is not based on us, but on His nature. And the God who cares for sparrows holds us in high regard. He cares about what happens to us. “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows” (Exodus 3:7).
Today’s Growth Principle:
No trial or struggle comes into our lives without God’s care and help coming along with it.
Look to the Future for Your Reward
by Joyce Meyer - posted July 15, 2017For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
—Hebrews 12:11
We should look to the future, determine what we want to see happen, and then discipline ourselves in order that we may have it. We must not buy into the lie that we should only live for the moment or that the present is all we have. We also have a future to consider, and we need to begin to live with an eye toward "afterward," toward the "later on" times. We have to begin to care just as much or more about later on than we care about right now.
If you want to be thinner when the time comes to wear your swimsuit in June, you need to start eating healthily and exercising before summer arrives. If you want to be able to afford a new car next year, you need to work toward getting out of debt right now. If you dream of living in a nice, clean, orderly home, you have to clear out the clutter and clean it up!
Discipline may not be pleasant for your flesh while you're doing it, but it will give you a tremendous sense of satisfaction in your soul—the satisfaction that comes from knowing you are making good choices. If you will pay the price to be disciplined now, you will enjoy rewards later. If you don't pay the price now to do what is right, then you'll suffer the consequences of an undisciplined life later.
You can pay now or you can pay later, but at some point, we all reap the harvest of the choices we've made. We can't simply wish our lives were different; we have to press through laziness, fleshly desires, and bad attitudes and refuse to give up on the discipline that will yield good fruit later on. If there is something you want to see happen in your future, start disciplining yourself toward it now, and later on you will enjoy the fruit of it.
Trust in Him: God's Word in Hebrews 12:11 says “no discipline brings joy…but afterwards….” If you discipline yourself now, you can trust that He'll bring you great reward afterward.
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