Have you ever committed to do something without realizing that time goes faster than you think, and being disciplined can be tougher than you think? That’s kind of happened to me in different areas. But discipline and commitment are important to achieve a desired result.
At the beginning of the year I committed to a reading plan. The plan was to read through the Bible in one year. I was excited about the plan. I didn’t go into it thinking it would be easy. I knew there would be days that I would have difficulty finding time and days I just didn’t feel like doing it. For the most part I’ve been pretty consistent. However, I’ve noticed at times that I might miss 2, 3 or even 4 days. These are the times when I feel pressured and I have to play catch-up. And I’m only making it harder on myself when I do this. Because instead of taking a half hour out of my day to read, now I have to take out maybe an hour more to get back to where I need to be.
One good thing I did, that was actually smart, was I asked a friend to do the 1-year reading plan with me. This kind of helps to keep us both on track. It seems to help knowing that if you’re not staying on course that you have someone to answer to. This is similar to what a friend and I did in college. We both liked to work out and stay in shape. We also knew that there would be days we wouldn’t feel like doing anything. We would either go running or lift weights together. The good thing about this was that on the days one doesn’t feel like going, the other most likely will. Another good thing was that it was more fun to go through it with someone else. Having someone else there kept you company. There was also the added benefit of friendly competition to help push you harder than you might push yourself otherwise.
In either of these instances, I noticed that missing a number of days I was going to cause me to play catch-up. And if I missed too many days that getting back to where I was might just become so difficult that I would end up quitting. That’s why consistency is important in these things. I need discipline so that I can stay on course with the plan. Otherwise, the wheels come off and I just end up in a ditch. The good thing is, when I do get behind, it’s not so far that I can’t catch back up. But the best scenario is to get in that daily routine so that you never have to. A little time set aside each day is a lot easier than one huge chunk of time all at once.
Being consistent and committed to the things we undertake is important. This gets us to the finish line. So, what does the Bible have to say about this?
AV Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” When we are starting a task the most important thing we can do is to involve God in it. When we commit something to God, He can help make it successful. We often do this through prayer. When we commit something to God He will not only help us with it, but show us the steps we need to take to accomplish it. He will not only bring to pass the thoughts that we have, but He will give us the thoughts and ideas He wants us to have about the matter. Sometimes we may find, when we commit it to God, that He may steer us in a different direction. Or, he may not want us to do it at all. That’s why this step is so important. We don’t want to get into something only to find that He didn’t want us to do it in the first place.
AV John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” Being consistent in the work God has given us to do is also important for this reason. We only have so much time on this earth. We want to be accomplishing worthwhile things while we have time. So, we want to be making progress towards our goal each day.
AV 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Instead of the example I used in my post being a metaphor, I guess this time it was literal. In starting my reading plan, my end goal is to be approved unto God. So, in doing this, I need to remember that this is the reason I’m doing it. It can end up being something where I’m just going through the motions. It’s easy to start out on a noble task with the best of intentions, only to end up doing it for the wrong reasons. This is not where we want to end up.
AV Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Having a friend walk through something with you always helps. When my friend and I started on our Bible reading plan, at least at the beginning, we started out asking each other questions, or making comments, on the things we read. That’s kind of what this verse is talking about. We help each other become better than we could become just by ourselves.
AV Proverbs 22:29 says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men].” When we’re diligent in our tasks, good things will come of it. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean we will stand before an actual king. But it could put you in contact with important people. People that are interested in helping you accomplish what you are doing. People with the same goals in mind that want to come along side you, and partner with you, to get you to the goal for the vision that God has given you.
AV Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”
AV John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
AV 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
AV Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
AV Proverbs 22:29 says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men].”