It’s Not Easy

“This teaching is hard, who can accept it?” John 6:60

I think we have done a disservice to folks by saying that it is easy to have a relationship with Jesus. Before you stop reading and call me names, let me explain my thought.
God has made understanding what Jesus has done for us as payment for our sins easy to grasp. Our sin separates us from a relationship with God and through the work of Christ on the cross we can be made right with God. It is that simple. Jesus told us that it is simple enough that a child can understand and have that relationship. The hard part that I am talking about is that a relationship with Christ requires me to yield all of myself to God. All of my desires, all of my goals, all of my ambitions need to be yielded to his will, and I need to be growing in the image and likeness of Him. (I must decrease and He must increase.) That is the hard part. It doesn’t matter who we are; our pride always wants others to notice who we are and how good we are. The goal of a Christ-follower is just the opposite, our words and actions should say, “See Christ,” “Look at him,” “All of my accomplishments are because of him, praise him.” A few verses later in John 6 we are told, “From that moment on many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” I think this is often what happens to us. We want to experience the forgiveness and grace of Jesus, but the cost of truly following is too high, and we go back to our own stuff.
Have you realized how hard it is to be a Christ-follower? Don’t give up or get discouraged; God has given us promises of his presence and strength. “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” “I will help you,” “I will supply all you need.” God always keeps his promises. You can count on Him. Keep following, keep listening; a life with Christ is worth whatever sacrifice it cost.

-Pastor Tim