If given the choice between comfort or pain, which would you choose? If comfort meant staying stuck to avoid the risk of failing, would you still cling to its familiarity? If pain meant the reward of meeting your goal and experiencing victory would you allow yourself to go through with it? I'll start with 1 Corinthians 6:12:
Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.
It's always been our choice. God made us and loves us, but He does not choose for us. We must make the choice that is beneficial, at times painful, in order to receive the prize. If you stick to the familiar you will miss out on opportunities to be a part of the work of God. God's plans will come to pass whether or not you choose to get out of your comfort zone. Don't risk going lukewarm in regard to your faith by refusing to put the work in today.
What is keeping you from making your relationship with God a priority in your life? Even things that we think are good can become idols, enslaving us by taking up all of our time, attention, and energy. We can confuse our liberty for slavery if we're not attentive to what we're spending our valuable time and resources on.
If you're making a change in your life (one that will help you mature spiritually especially) you can expect some resistance from the comfort of the habits you've been familiar with. That's why we're reminded in Hebrews 12:11 that, at the time, it may not feel as well as what we were used to, but in the end all of the discomfort will be worth it.
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
When your heart is in the right place, God is with you to carry you through. Obedience to God is worth more than all of the freedom in the world. As we learn to focus on cultivating self-discipline in our lives, let's not take our freedom to choose lightly. Keep it up, Reader!
