It Takes Work
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; - Colossians 1:10-11
Perhaps, you’ve heard Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quote paraphrased this way, “Nothing worth doing is ever easy.” But what he actually said was, “Nothing in the world is worth having or doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…” And so, a closer relationship with God takes work and, yes, some pain. Christ suffered on the cross for you and me so that we can have a home in Heaven. In our fast-paced society, it would be easy and nice if we could pull up to the drive-thru and purchase a super-sized portion of Holy Spirit to go along with our fries, but that is not how the Christian life works. Just as it takes work and planning to lose weight, stay healthy, raise kids, be married, be single, get out of bed on those difficult days, or say “no” to chocolate or jerky, it will require effort on our part to build a productive relationship with God.
There was once a set of sisters who were always mistaken for twins but were actually born a year apart. They were the same height, had similar interests, dressed nearly the same, spoke the same sentences at the same time and even shared each other’s pain. And although their faces were completely different, they were so close in their relationship that many confused their names; it was as if they were the same person. The sisters wanted to have their own identities away from one another, but it seemed that no matter how hard they tried, they could not leave the other. This is the kind of bond that God desires with us. We may never completely look like Him and we may want to go and do our own thing, but without Him we are weaker. So many of us quit before we begin. And quitting always begins in the mind. Before you drop out of serving Christ, realize that God can give you the strength to continue on. Who better to please than the Lord? He is always there to listen, provide, guide, protect, comfort, and help at every moment.
Today’s One-Step Challenge: Take one step closer to God by spending a few more minutes in prayer, Bible-reading, fellowshipping with other Christians, listening to or viewing preaching, or giving the Gospel. Serving God should never be a 9-5 job, but instead a lifestyle. What is it that God wants more of in your life?
