Devo 7: Going Up the Down-Escalator

Do you ever get tired of fighting and think, "Surely things aren't supposed to be this hard"? "Surely, I am doing something wrong. I thought things were supposed to get better with Jesus." Well, yes and no. Things are supposed to get better with Jesus--but not necessarily in this life. Certainly in the age to come, but not quite in this life.

We have a cushioned, sugar-coated idea of what we think the Christian life is supposed to be. There are messages out there that present a false-grace and messages about false prosperity. Yes, the Lord wants what is best for us, but best doesn't mean easy. Best means your soul is saved and delivered from hell and the Lord allows circumstances that will draw you closer to Him. Best means that we are disciplined (Heb. 12), refined in the fire (Heb. 5, Mal. 3), and crucified with Christ (Gal. 2). God's best for humanity was sending an innocent man to the cross. Kinda changes things, huh?

The truth is that living the Christian life is like going up the down-escalator. Ever tried that? (I have, its really fun). It's hard though. If you get half-way up and decide to stop, before you know it, you are back at the bottom again. In the Christian walk, you have to constantly be moving forward or you will go backward. There are myriads of verses describing what I just explained to you--the New Testament is full of them.

I am saying all of this, because many people get so discouraged that the struggle is so hard and they give up. They think maybe something is wrong with them because they are having such a hard time. In reality, it's just hard. That's the nature of it.

Why is it so hard? Well, think about God. He is Holy, Just, Merciful, Loving, True, Patient, Gentle, All-powerful, Glorious, Majestic, All-Present, All-Knowing, Gracious, Compassionate, Everlasting, Faithful, well...you get the point.

Is He worth it? Is He worth whole-hearted abandon? Is He worth a struggle? Is He worth dying daily so that Christ can be made manifest in us? Is He worthy of a "yes" in the heart of a believer even though that believer struggles everyday. Absolutely.

So, when things are difficult for you. It's okay. Don't count yourself out of the race when you mess up. Stop what you're doing, ask for forgiveness and turn from it, then fix your eyes on the Lord once more. This stuff is not easy, but fix your eyes on the prize--Christ Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:1).

This week, pick one or more of the following passages and meditate on them for at least 20 minutes a day. Meditate on how worthy the Lord is to receive the praise of a living sacrifice. Here are the passages: Romans 12:1-2, Luke 13:24-30, Matthew 13:44, Matthew 13:11-17, 13:18-23, Matthew 13:45-46.

I hope you are encouraged by this. Blessings to you all.

Amanda

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