Have you ever hated doing something that was good for you?
I can think of lots of things: exercising, eating vegetables, reading my Bible, going to church, visiting a loved one, following through with plans I now regret making, being the first one to say “I’m sorry,” washing the dishes, cooking, cleaning the bathroom, and practicing the piano.
Thankfully, I don’t struggle with everything on the list like I used to. There isn’t a single thing on the list today that I would say I hate doing though I would have said that about all of them at some point in the past. I’ve learned that tackling things that need to be done is good and has helped me grow. That doesn’t mean I always want to do whatever is in front of me that needs to be done. That battle continues.
God grows us through the battles of life. Sometimes those are nation versus nation battles and sometimes they are internal, or me versus me or me versus God, battles. In Exodus 23:30 the prophet writes; “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.” God prepared the way for his people to take over the promised land, but the people still had to go out, march to, and fight the battle. This made them stronger, helped them increase in number, and over time they took possession of the land.
God grew them through the battle and he grows us as we battle, fight for what is right, work for his purposes, and generally do what needs to be done. Every time we avoid the spiritual and physical battles of life before us, we miss the opportunities God has for us to grow. Let’s pray that all the folks of our church would be willing to face and fight the daily battles and grow to be the church God would have us be.
Pastor John Riley