When You Don't Feel Like it, Take Heart

I found this by Jon Bloom on Piper's blog and thought it was really helpful...thought you'd like it....

Did you wake up not feeling like reading your Bible and praying? How many times today have you had to battle not feeling like doing things you know would be good for you?
While it's true that this is our indwelling sin that we must repent of and fight against, there's more going on. Think about this strange pattern that occurs over and over in just about every area of life:

Good food requires discipline to prepare and eat while junk food tends to be the most tasty, addictive, and convenient.

Keeping the body healthy and strong requires frequent deliberate discomfort while it only takes constant comfort to go to pot.

You have to make yourself pick up that nourishing theological book while watching a movie can feel so inviting.

You frequently have to force yourself to get to devotions and prayer while sleeping, reading the sports, and checking Facebook seems effortless.

To play beautiful music requires thousands of hours of tedious practice.

To excel in sports requires monotonous drills ad nauseum.

It takes years and years of schooling just to make certain opportunities possible.

This goes on and on.

The pattern is this: the greater joys are obtained through struggle and pain, while brief, unsatisfying, and often destructive joys are right at our fingertips. Why is this?

Because, in great mercy, God is showing us everywhere, in things that are just shadows of heavenly things, that there is a great reward for those who struggle through (Hebrews 10:32-35). He is reminding us repeatedly each day to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Each struggle is an invitation by God to follow in the footsteps of his Son, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Those who are spiritually blind only see futility in these things. But for those who have eyes to see, God has woven hope (faith in future grace) right into the futility of creation (Romans 8:20-21). Each struggle is a pointer saying, “Look! Look to the real Joy set before you!” So when you don’t feel like doing what you know is best for you, take heart and don’t give in. Your Father is pointing you to the reward he has planned for all who endure to the end (Matthew 24:13).

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Setting the Pace

For the last nine months or so I've been running four mornings a week with a friend. When Gene first mentioned that he ran at 5:30 it never, ever, occurred to me that he meant "a.m." It wasn't even as though I thought "I wonder whether he means in the morning or afternoon?" I just assumed he meant after work - so I asked if I could run with him and he said he would be glad of the company. Only later did I realise that he meant 5:30am.

Anyway, long story short, we run together and I can honestly say that most mornings when it's wet, cold and dark the only reason I swing my legs out of bed at 5:15am is because I know that Gene is going to be waiting for me at the end of my road. No other reason. Left to myself I'd roll over and sleep some more telling myself that one day off won't hurt. Such is the benefit, indeed the necessity, of accountability.

This morning I learnt another lesson.

I was training by myself and I found that I ended up running quite a bit slower. When I run with Gene we spur each other on and generally we keep a pretty good pace up but this morning, on my own, I was telling myself that I was doing OK and that I was certainly working hard enough. At the end of the 4 mile circuit, however, my watch told me another story. It had been a rubbish pace whilst I had convinced myself otherwise. The fact was that I needed Gene to prevent me from coasting. I suppose a runner by himself could end up pushing himself too hard and so needs a pace setter to prevent premature exhaustion..... but I guess I'll never know about that scenario.

I realise that to pursue spiritual growth I need accountability to maintain healthy life-giving disciplines but I also need a pace setter who'll prevent me from kidding myself that I'm making good progress when I'm not. Left to myself I'll coast but with others who will spur me on, who'll say "Come on, let's pick up the pace for a bit", I'll thrive and grow.

"You don't believe THAT nonsense!??"

Grabbed a coffee at Costa on the way in this morning and Fiona told me she was having to hold the fort for another hour single handed. I sort of offered to help, what with being on the paid staff I kind of figured that I should, but I had sooooooo much to do..... great relief when my sort of offer was declined. Anyway half an hour later I was back as I had a hunch the Manager was doing what managers do: putting a brave face on it. I was right.

Long story short, I'm pushing out Lattes, Cappuccinos, clearing tables and washing up like a pro and then Fiona says: "It's Friday 13th tomorrow!" Without looking up I replied: "You don't believe all THAT nonsense do you!". We're then on to the next thing.... "Small Latte with an extra shot, the milk really, really hot and in a cup not a glass - please"..... but I find myself thinking how dismissive I'd been of someone elses belief. Some people really do buy into the whole superstition package and it's a big deal to them. I hadn't even bothered to find out what her belief really was, I'd just rubbished the whole idea. Nice one Dave. Really cross-culturally sensitive! (Turns out that she's actually not superstitious at all...apart from the ladders thing).

Log Cabin in Slough

Last night I spent the night in a log cabin in Slough. Bizarre! Nice cabin, great company (just Dan and me, Dave couldn't make it...grrrrrr!), OK food (ready meal from Waitrose and organic cider in a box), rubbish location (next to the M4 and under the approach to Heathrow).

Anyway, on the way there and back I listened to the most amazing church service I'd ever heard. Seriously. I've not experienced anything like it. The sense of the presence of God was awesome, God's Word so powerful. The absolute reality of the sure and certain hope that we have through Christ infused everything that was said and done. It was incredible.

It was a service of thanksgiving for a young woman, who had died of cancer just before her 36th birthday. Louise and I had prepared her and her husband for marriage some 12 years previously. Two small children are without a mother. The situation is awful and yet, and yet.....God.

The grieving husband spoke powerfully about the love he had for his wife, his own grief, his questions and his fears for the future. But above all he spoke of his absolute confidence in the sovereignty of God and the sure and certain knowledge of his Fatherly care. As I listened to this and the sermon that followed I felt like I was witnessing a miracle as great as any healing I've ever seen or heard about. Jesus is amazing! This stuff really works. At some point I'll post what I listened to so you can make your own judgement.