Hard But So Worth It

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the walk of faith that we as disciples have been called to. During our conversation he hit me with a question that struck a chord deep down inside...sometimes it is just so hard...is it really worth it? As disciples of the Lord living in a world that constantly nags at our flesh and tries to motivate us to live for anything but Christ it is easy to fall prey to Satan's lies and schemes of thinking that this race we've been called to just might not be worth it in the end. The persecution we may have to endure from family and friends, the spiritual battle we have to fight on a daily basis as our spirit wages war with our flesh, and so on.

I sat quietly thinking of how to respond. Why is it that I find so much joy in following the Lord I wondered. Is it difficult for me at times? Absolutely! I realized at that very moment that when I try and depend on my own strength to endure in this life I fail miserably and the reward of eternal life seems to pale in the future, but when I depend on Christ alone (Philippians 4:13) for my strength and satisfaction that hope of eternal glory seems closer than ever. Of course this race we are running is hard, the Bible doesn't promise us anything but that. Jesus even reminds us in John 15:20 "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also." How true is that. Sometimes reminding ourselves of what the perfect God-man Jesus Christ had to endure puts things into perspective. Our trials should turn into blessings and privileges because of the reward we will inherit, James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

Satan tries to lie to us to make us the most ineffective Christians as there is possible. If God has saved us nobody can snatch us from His hands but Satan will do the best he can to make you doubt, struggle, and compromise. We must be on guard putting on the armor of the Lord daily...especially in the Word which is our sword!

This life of faith is HARD...but it is so worth it, because one day we will enter into the kingdom of heaven and hear the precious words of the Creator of the universe, "Welcome Home!"