Hard Thingsby Keith Craft ~ October 8th, 2009. Filed under: 2009, Leadership.
“Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?…From that time, many of His disciples went back and walked with him no more.” John 6:60; 66
John 6 is an amazing chapter in the New Testament of the Bible. It chronicles two days in the life of Jesus, but more importantly, it chronicles the hearts of men…men who say they follow Jesus. In this powerful passage of scripture, Jesus begins to say some “hard things,” that were not easy for the normal mind to process. It is not so much what Jesus says that was hard that I want to emphasize, but that Jesus said, “The words I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.”

What makes “hard things” hard?

· “It wasn’t until my wife divorced me that I hit my knees and cried out to God. Unfortunately, it took that!”
· “I didn’t see a need for exercise until after my heart attack. My doctor said I needed to exercise to keep my heart in good shape for the rest of my life.”
· “I have nothing for retirement. I will never be able to retire!”

Hidden within these “hard” statements is the secret of what makes “hard things” hard.

First, couples that pray together have a divorce rate of less than 1%.

Second, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America in both men and women and yet, could be almost totally prevented with daily exercise.

Third, less than 3 % of Americans will retire financially independent.

What do all these things have in common?

· Divorce is hard…but not the issue.
· Heart disease is hard…but not the issue.
· Saving for retirement is hard…but not the issue.

DISCIPLINE is the real “hard thing.”

“Discipline in any area of your life is hard, but a lack of discipline in any area of your life, makes every area of your life harder.” Leadershipology.com

The condensed version is…

“Discipline is hard. A lack of discipline is harder.” Leadershipology.com

What makes “hard things” hard is the discipline it takes to change things for the better.

I want to encourage you today, to do the “hard things” that will keep your life from being HARDER! What “hard things” do you need to do today, that will make your tomorrows better?

Getting up for prayer at 5:30 this morning was hard for me!!!!

Doing hard things for a better life,