For You or For God

For You or For God 　
How many times have you worked out so hard that you got sick to your stomach? How many times have you gone on a diet where you were hungry all the time but you would not eat? Or what about the time you had to get up early to go to a game? All of these questions have one thing that is in common: suffering. Getting sick to our stomach, starving, and getting up early are not what we call fun. Why do we do them then?
Everyone likes it when they make it to the end of their goal; we like it even more when our goal has a reward that we can see. The questions above have another similarity-- they hold a reward. Working out till you feel like you are going to die pays off because if you keep up the hard work, you will be in good shape. Dieting has the reward of keeping us thin and in shape. Getting up early to go to a game pays of in the hope that you might win a game. All of these activities are great things. I am not saying that you should not do them. Would you suffer to the same extent for the Lord though?
I find that when it comes to jumping out of bed at 4:30 a.m. to go skiing I do not mind suffering through the tiredness, but when it comes time for me to get up at 7:00 a.m. to spend time with God I just cannot do it. I would use some of the other topics to prove my point, but it would be too embarrassing to go there. I am always ready to beat my flesh up when I can taste the outcome, but ask me to do it for the glory of God and I will often stop short. I know in my heart that it would be a good thing to go out evangelizing, but it is such hard work and it gets so hot that the whole time I’m miserable. Funny thing is that nine times out of ten it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Satan will only let us remember the bad times.
As much as I do not like to say this because it is so convicting for me, we will not let our flesh suffer if it is suffering for God; when it comes to things of the world we have no hesitation. If we get up early in the morning to spend time with God, evangelize till we cannot stand any more, pray and fast so that we may know his will, even if it is extremely painful and miserable, it is for a good cause, for we will have our reward in heaven. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day. 2Tim. 4:7. Some day we will get that reward that we so greatly desire.






    Project: I will take one day and set it aside for fasting and praying.
1.I will take one day and set it aside for fasting and praying.
2.I will get up early every morning to spend time with God (Except for Saturdays).
3. I will talk to five people about Christ and his plan for them.

     Like I said last month, you are more than welcome to join me in these projects. They are there to help me grow, but if you would like to do them too, please feel free. (Mostly I am telling you this because I do not want to do them alone.) If you do decide to take one or even all three on, please let me know so that I can be praying for you.



      Follow-Up: The part that you all have been waiting for! Well, I wish that I could say this went really well....but I cannot. I can count about five times that I actually went above the call of duty. Other than that, it did not cross my mind to do a job at 110%. I will get up early every morning to spend time with God (Except for Saturdays).