Day 2614 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Hebrews 12:3 NIV

We've been talking a bit about our tendency to find the path that allows us to coast. Laziness is like this stumbling block that's always right around the corner just waiting to catch us with our guards down. And when life gets hard and the storms keep raging, that relief starts looking really nice! Each of us have that option right there at our fingertips to give up, give in, and take the easy road. But the thing is that Christ didn't come to this earth to show us how to squeak by doing the bare minimum. He came to show us how to give our lives for something greater than ourselves.

But still, settling for what's easy so that we can avoid having to put in more effort than we want to give seems the common mindset of humanity anymore. Stories of striving, overcoming the odds, and standing up to the evils around us are sadly growing more sporadic as days go by. And so it's becoming easier for us to adopt that mindset ourselves. If everyone else seems to be getting by doing what's easy and normal then why should we try harder?

Well, because we have to keep in the mind the example that we have in Christ. He didn’t run and hide and try to get out of doing what He did on that cross. And you could say that worked out pretty well for all of us!

That's something that I've mentioned a few times in recent days. If He was willing to go through what He did to open the door that our sins had closed, that should help us see just how important our faith really is. That should make us understand that it is worth the effort, the struggle, the pain that comes with doing what's right instead of what's easy. He gave His life to help us see we needed a new way of living for something bigger than us that leads to an eternity we don't deserve. The least we can do is try to step through that door the cross opened and see why it meant so much that He died to give us that chance.

What we need to learn to move beyond is this idea that the way life works on this earth is how it will always be. We look around and see the wrong side winning. Evil is being celebrated. Wickedness is consuming more and more people every single day. The devil is having a heyday in our world, and people who just want an easy, comfortable, and simple life are simply giving up and going along with it. So many just see the odds growing increasingly against the straight and narrow, and so they give up trying.

That's why we have to stand even more firm in our faith. That's why we need to find that inner strength that comes from our relationship with Christ and fight on. It will always be easier to let up and allow ourselves to stop trying. And it's going to become even more appealing as the world around us grows increasingly more wicked and broken. But we just can't. As easy as that choice may be, we have to understand what choosing that path means in the scope of eternity.

Friends, a life of faith is not one of ease. It shouldn't be. It shouldn't be popular. It should be comfortable. It shouldn't be something that we can manage on our own. A life of faith is one that does what's right no matter how hard. It's a choice to fight the good fight and to never let up even when it seems like we're making no difference. It's a daily resolve to keep our eyes fixed on Christ and our hearts set on doing what He calls us to do while the vast majority of those around seem to be living it up, relishing in a life of pleasure and ease.

“But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” Hebrews 10:38 makes it pretty clear that the one who gives up and shrinks away from the task at hand isn't who we're called to be. Hebrews chapter 11 recounts many acts of faith by those Biblical heroes of the faith that we all know. And then we have the culmination of those heroes in the ultimate example of faith, and the example that we're called to follow, in Christ's suffering that was endured to give us the promise of salvation and the hope of eternal peace.

Any one of those people could have chosen to avoid stepping out in faith. David could have sat on the sidelines and let Goliath talk his trash. Moses could have left the people in Egypt. Abraham could have hidden his son rather than taking him to sacrifice. Joseph could have told the Israelites to get lost and find their help somewhere else. But they all did what God asked them to do, and while it didn't make sense and went against everything logical, they got to see the faithfulness of God by following His plans and trusting in His promises.

That's who we should aim to be. Not the ones who do just enough to coast through life and barely slide our way to Heaven's gates, but the ones who give everything we have to storm those gates with as much passion, joy, and effort as we can muster. Not those who run from life's trials and hardships, but those who give more credence to God than the storms that come our way, and even thank Him for bringing the rain that helps us grow our roots in His providence. Not those who shrink back when called to live out our faith, but those who take those opportunities to stand even taller knowing that we're bout to see God do His thing!

Friends, we will always have a choice. And I know that easy road with all the allure of peace and comfort looks mighty nice when we're worn and weary. But don't give up. Please don’t give in to that lie of temporary comfort. Don't stop fighting. Don't let the devil lure you into taking your foot off the gas and trading eternal peace for a fleeting moment of rest. We'll rest when we're home. And this ain't home. So until our last breath, until Christ returns, until we hear that "Well done good and faithful servant," fight with everything you have and don't settle for anything less.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold