If It Were Easy

If it were easy, everyone would do it. Isn't that the very nature of this walk called sanctification that we're on? If being a Christian were easy, people would be lined up at the doors and our churches would be filled to overflowing. But the fact is, being a Christian, more specifically being a disciple is hard work. It is fraught with frustration and teeming with trials. Going to church every Sunday is nothing compared to picking up your cross daily. Saying 'grace' over a meal is child's play compared to having a conversation with God. And then there's that whole love your neighbor thing! Some neighbors are just harder to love than others. And I've heard that if you don't know which of your neighbors are hard to love... it's you!

Anyway, it's hard and I admit that. The Bible does not mislead us in any way with respect to how we are to work at being disciples of Christ. My verse today is Romans 14:19 which states;
"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

"Make every effort." Definitely not "try your best" or "if it's possible" but instead, pour everything you've got, put every ounce of energy you have into what leads to peace. It's more than just 'getting along.' It's far more than 'tolerance.'

Sometimes what leads to peace is painful. Consider that you may have insulted someone, hurt their feelings, sinned against them. What leads to peace is confession and asking for forgiveness. It's easy to ask God's forgiveness, you know the answer in advance. But to look your neighbor in the eye, admit to them your weakness, confess to them your sin and then to ask for their forgiveness? That's certainly not easy. If we were to just 'get along' we could just pretend that it never happened. No effort required. Fleshy is easy. But this verse exhorts us to action, to effort, to work even that we may live at peace with one another.

And even more, we are called to mutual edification. This means that we are to help one another to grow and learn. We are to use encouraging words to lift one another up towards greater knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Many times, when someone has a need, it's easier to just do it for them. But again, we're not called to take the easy path. Sure, we are to help them and maybe that means that we sometime do it for them. But while we're doing it, we should be building them up. That means that we have to control our tongue and say "let me show you how to do that" instead of "get out of the way and let me do it." It means that we are to complete on another wherever there is a deficit and to do it with mercy and grace.

That's how God treats us. That's how we're called to treat one another. If it were easy, it would be called nature. But it's not so instead it's called love.

Gripped,
Carl