Continuing with the theme of present sacrifice for future rewards, I want to further incentivize your willingness to endure the pain that leads to fruit in the future.

What I didn’t mention earlier was that the degree to which you suffer now is the same degree to which you will prosper later.

There are times when other people will think you’re going off your rocker when you show up with a chainsaw instead of pruning shears.

Let’s look at a time in my life when it seemed like I was going insane when in reality I was making a calculated choice to bring about future benefits.

When my wife and I moved to Hawaii we refused to purchase a vehicle for over two years. Instead, we intentionally ordered our lives so that we would be close to everything we needed. We then paid $300 cash for two electric scooters and put all of the money we would have otherwise spent on vehicle expenses into an account dedicated to future investments. This account later allowed us to purchase assets that brought in an entirely new stream of cash flow.

At first, our friends were wondering what kind of crazy people chose not to buy a car. Later on, they wondered how we were able to start a profitable business, seemingly out of thin air.

We paid a heavy price during those years, then God blessed our efforts later with a reward that far outweighed the price. You will see this happening in your ministry if you are willing to ruthlessly eliminate all areas of your ministry that are dead or dying.

If you decide that you’re willing to get out the chainsaw when it’s required, then the odds of your ministry thriving down the road have already increased substantially.