Do you like to do dishes? I don’t. Do you like to exercise? I DON’T. I enjoy walking but that isn’t exactly hard, you know what I mean?
But, the fact is that I need to do dishes or I’ll have a really messy kitchen and nothing to eat off of! I wouldn’t like that either. So, I do dishes. Sometimes I just dread it and I put it off. But, the truth of the matter is once I do the dishes I feel really great! I am glad I did it! It wasn’t as bad as I expected and the best part is that the kitchen is so nice and clean and neat.
It’s the same with exercise. I procrastinate, I go, I enjoy the walk, and I feel so great when I am done.
Why is that?
I believe it goes back to the principle in the Bible that teaches “Right feelings follow right actions.” Now it is true that sometimes we have to do something that we may never feel good about because it is right. But the basic truth is that we are happiest when we are doing right. There is even a verse about that. Actually there are a LOT of supportive verses. For instance Psalm 1 is a great passage. In that one and many others “blessed” means “happy.”
I tried to find one that said “right feelings follow right actions,” but alas that isn’t how God put it in the Bible. I just couldn’t think of a verse that hit the nail on the head. Oh, I knew they were there. . . I just couldn’t find it. So, I called my parents. I knew my Daddy could find a verse on that principle. After all, that’s where I learned to live a principle-based rather than a feelings-based life.
So here is the verse he came up with.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
So, now I guess I’d better go get busy and do some more of those unpleasant tasks that I’ve been avoiding! Then I can have thoughts established by God. How awesome is that?
