It Ain't Easy!

"Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:32-33 NKJV Let's face it, the Christian life isn't easy. In a perfect world situation, we'd simply surrender our lives to God & live happily ever after, spreading sunshine and joy wherever we go. But, it's not a perfect world & it's becoming more and more imperfect day by day. Times are indeed getting harder for people of Faith. We shouldn't be surprised though, Jesus warned us about it. We've simply gotten fat, lazy & complacent in our Christianity over the years. We have our rockstar preachers, our concert-like environments, our comfy chairs & climate-controlled sanctuaries. Most churches are so strictly scheduled that there's little room for the Holy Spirit to operate. And, we wonder why God seems distant... The fact is that as we near the end of the age & the return of Christ (which could happen any day and we really need to get our lives & houses in order to be prepared for), things are going to get increasingly difficult for the Family of God. The world is full of trouble, sin is rampant and now, it's condoned rather than seen as wrong. We look at the world in utter disgust. But, what are we doing about it? If the church operated like the church of old, we'd be out doing street preaching and evangelizing. We'd be supplying food to the humgry, clothing the naked, ministering to those who are imprisoned. We'd be taking care of widows & orphans. We'd be shing the light of God's love into the darkness of the world. Yet, we sit in our sanctuaries & talk about how evil the world has become & do nothing for the most part. Talk is cheap, people. We have to put feet to our faith. Will people question our motives? Yes, they will. Will they think we're a bunch of religious fanatics? Probably so. Won't they think we have some sort of angle? Most likely--but we actually do. We're called to be salt & light to the world around us and to share God's Love with hose we come in contact with. Will they reject us & God too? In some cases, yes--but in others, they will open their hearts to the truth of God's Word & become a new creation in Christ. That's where our reward is--the joy of seeing others come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and His Sacrifice for them. It takes work. It takes blood, sweat & tears. It takes getting out of those comfy chairs & burning some shoe leather, knocking on doors, talking to people who are different from us, overcoming our fears and being Christ's Ambassadors as we should be. Remember The Great Commission? It's a commandment, not a suggestion... It ain't easy, but it's worth it! Blessings, Tony