There Is No Easy Button

[hldude]

YouTube Channel Video Devo

“There Is No Easy Button”
Luke 9:23 NLT
Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.”

Remember many years ago the commercial for Staples store with a button that says, “That was easy”? We actually have one of those buttons at my work on top of the corner of a cubicle. One of the IT guys usually walks by and hits it and we laugh. I remember through the years talking about that commercial and how so often it would be nice if certain things were easy. Don’t we all feel like that?

As a parent, I often hear my kids make comments and complain about how they wish life were just easier. As much as I lecture them about this, I have to admit I do feel the same way many times. There are times in life when I just wish things could be easier. Why can’t raising kids be easier? Why can’t my job be easier? Why can’t marriage be easier? Why can’t school be easier? The list could go on and on.

As I think about how we’ve become so accustomed to comfort in our lives and finding the easiest way to do things, I can’t help but think about how this is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught us about life. He came and lived anything but an easy life. Pretty much everything He did was the opposite of easy. People around Him often complained about how hard things were. But He taught so often that “hard” is good. It teaches us and creates character and perseverance in our lives.

Jesus was very clear to us about how we need to carry our cross daily. If we want to follow Him, we cannot expect an easy life. We cannot live daily wishing that everything was easy. Even though we would often want this, living easy does not produce growth in our lives. The challenges I experience in my life are often not wanted or easy, but they definitely help me grow as a person and in my faith.

Friends, we must stop holding on to the “easy button” and wishing so much in life was easier. We must remember the life that God called us to live should be anything but easy. God’s call and challenge to us is to grow and be stretched in our faith every day. Through the pain and trials of carrying our cross daily, we learn what it truly means to live a life that Jesus calls us to.

There is no easy button for our lives in Christ. We were meant to live a life that is full of challenge and growth. An easy life will not produce growth and character.

 

[for_his_glory]

Thank you for bringing another good teaching. If life was easy then we probably would not be so close to the Lord. What doesn't kill us makes our faith stronger as we pick up our cross to follow Christ Jesus.

 

[Tenchi]

There is no easy button for our lives in Christ. We were meant to live a life that is full of challenge and growth. An easy life will not produce growth and character.

Psalm 84:5-7
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

John 7:38-39
38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"
39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive...

Romans 8:13
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Ephesians 6:10
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

I practiced and taught a martial art for nearly thirty years. In the process, I broke teeth, tore tendons, dislocated joints, endured countless bruises, and sacrificed enormous amounts of time, energy and money to do so. Why? Because I understood that life is hard and one must be very disciplined about it? No. Not a bit. I stayed at the training, costly though it was in so many ways, because I loved it! Yes, the training was gruelling, often. It hurt. But I still trained with delight, with joy, because I was doing what I loved to do.

This is exactly why God tells me that the First and Great Commandment He issues to me isn't to die to myself, to take up the hard and heavy burden of my cross, but to love Him with all of my being (Matthew 22:36-38). When this is the ground out of which my Christian living arises, when this is my prime motivation for walking in holiness and truth with God, the tough stuff isn't a burden but a joy; the pain of Christian growth is a delight, not a weary effort; the pursuit of Christ-likeness isn't mere rigorous self-discipline and severe restraint, but is a pleasure, producing wonderful fellowship with God, and unparalleled fulfillment and satisfaction.

It is a terrible mistake, then, to make out like Christian living is hard, and burdensome, and full of labor. It isn't. When love is at the center of it all, as it was in my martial arts training, all of the difficulties of Christian living become sources of joy, and satisfaction, not constant, bitter effort.

Psalm 36:7-9
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

Psalm 16:11
11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

[Hidden In Him]

Thank you for bringing another good teaching. If life was easy then we probably would not be so close to the Lord. What doesn't kill us makes our faith stronger as we pick up our cross to follow Christ Jesus.

Absolutely. Those whom He loves He disciplines, and no discipline is pleasurable (or "easy") at the time. But it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness in those who are trained by it.

 

[Josef]

YouTube Channel Video Devo

“There Is No Easy Button”
Luke 9:23 NLT
Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.”

Remember many years ago the commercial for Staples store with a button that says, “That was easy”? We actually have one of those buttons at my work on top of the corner of a cubicle. One of the IT guys usually walks by and hits it and we laugh. I remember through the years talking about that commercial and how so often it would be nice if certain things were easy. Don’t we all feel like that?

As a parent, I often hear my kids make comments and complain about how they wish life were just easier. As much as I lecture them about this, I have to admit I do feel the same way many times. There are times in life when I just wish things could be easier. Why can’t raising kids be easier? Why can’t my job be easier? Why can’t marriage be easier? Why can’t school be easier? The list could go on and on.

As I think about how we’ve become so accustomed to comfort in our lives and finding the easiest way to do things, I can’t help but think about how this is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught us about life. He came and lived anything but an easy life. Pretty much everything He did was the opposite of easy. People around Him often complained about how hard things were. But He taught so often that “hard” is good. It teaches us and creates character and perseverance in our lives.

Jesus was very clear to us about how we need to carry our cross daily. If we want to follow Him, we cannot expect an easy life. We cannot live daily wishing that everything was easy. Even though we would often want this, living easy does not produce growth in our lives. The challenges I experience in my life are often not wanted or easy, but they definitely help me grow as a person and in my faith.

Friends, we must stop holding on to the “easy button” and wishing so much in life was easier. We must remember the life that God called us to live should be anything but easy. God’s call and challenge to us is to grow and be stretched in our faith every day. Through the pain and trials of carrying our cross daily, we learn what it truly means to live a life that Jesus calls us to.

There is no easy button for our lives in Christ. We were meant to live a life that is full of challenge and growth. An easy life will not produce growth and character.

Hey All,
I dig what you are saying hldude. But how does it not contradict what Matthew wrote?

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus tells us that His yoke (life as a believer) is easy, and His burden (what He asks of us) is light.

May I suggest that if we find being a believer hard, we need to examine our lives. We will find that we are the cause of our Christian life being hard. The believer's life is simple; love God, love others, love yourself.

Keep walking everybody.
May God bless,
Taz

 

[KV-44-v1]

there may be a hard button.

 

[Corn Pop]

Thank you for bringing another good teaching. If life was easy then we probably would not be so close to the Lord. What doesn't kill us makes our faith stronger as we pick up our cross to follow Christ Jesus.

That's the truth. It's easy to be ignorant and live in denial but being humbled and living under Christ comes with a cost. There is a lot of pain and suffering that comes with it. It's not a easy path but it's the truth and the truth hurts.

I understand why people get offended with the truth because its the truth and not a lie and its easier to live in denial and under lies thats the easy path.