The Hard Way Is Difficult, But Greater In Learning & Opportunity

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Jesus said,>“(13) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (14) But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”’ (Matthew 7:13-14)

We like to do things the easy way.  I used to counsel our children, especially my son during his rebellious days, ‘you can learn the easy way and listen to my advice, or you can learn the hard way and experience life through its boot to the buttocks.’ (I may have, in my pre-Christian days, phrased this a bit differently.)  He often chose the latter approach to learning until he realized that lessons learned that way were often more painful, some physically but more often emotionally and mentally (and sometimes, financially).  But he did learn those lessons, and remembered them, from doing things the hard way, as we all do.

Someone asked me recently why I don’t use the common outlines of several widely-distributed devotionals for my Bible study teachings in Life Group.  It would seem that it would be in line with common themes, and it would save time in preparation and printing costs.  I have to admit, it would be easier to pick up a booklet, read it and make notes to share with the class on what the booklet is conveying.  But the easy way is not always the best way for learning.  Though the hard way is more painful, it is often the way most remembered and the learning the lesson from the practical experience proves it to be correct.  Putting your hand on a hot stove proves the lesson of ‘don’t touch a hot stove’ more than the words themselves.

Thus, I create the outlines to provide for the Bible study each week; the ‘hard way’, putting in the work to be well prepared, is to me the better way than taking the easy way.  The devotionals are good for what they are intended to do, providing a quick ‘sniglet’ of encouragement or understanding of a Biblical Scripture.  The intent of a Bible study, in my purview, is to learn exactly what God wants us to from the passage, which means we must understand the context behind each verse.  Going verse-by-verse provides that context.

For example, Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”) by itself is a great inspirational verse and standing alone is encouraging in its thought.  However, the full context is understood by reading all of Jeremiah; the pending 70-year exile of the Israelites to Babylon being their punishment for turning away from God (Jeremiah 29:1-10), but God’s promise to provide them that hope and future when they fulfill their part by turning back to Him, seeking Him in calling upon Him and praying to Him (Jeremiah 29:12-14).  It is not just encouragement, but an if/then statement for the Israelites, if they turn back to God while in exile, then in 70 years God will provide them prosperity and return them home to have hope and a future.

Jesus is also that road less traveled; following Him is not convenient or easy, and sometimes it can be no fun (from a secular sense) to walk with Jesus and follow His lead.  What we think is convenient and easy in the long term isn’t; secularism often views what you have as levels of success, and the more, bigger and better your possessions are the more successful you are.  The Biblical worldview is you’re more successful with leading a Spiritually blessed life for eternity; whether you are physically successful or not is only a temporary setting.

The easy way to do the Great Commission is to have people come to you, and that certainly makes it less awkward for us.  We don’t have to initiate the conversation, or step out actively but wait passively.  There is nothing wrong with this; there is nothing wrong in taking heed in the warning about the hot stove and never touching it to learn the hard way it is indeed hot.  However, doing the Great Commission by actively reaching out, while it can be practically painful on occasion, can also be greatly rewarding.  We can suffer insults and rejection, but when someone realizes that you care enough to be vulnerable, to be courageous enough in showing care, they often respond.  It may not always be right then and there, but they leave knowing someone cared enough to reach out to ask about them and their need for Christ.

With Jesus, view success as what you can give.  That does not mean giving possessions or cash (though that can be part of giving), but the giving of time to share the love of Christ with others, a time to pray for others.  There are many who we stop to pray with, and many who we open with asking if they need prayer.  One waitress many years ago told us, after asking if she needed prayer, about her mother’s drug issues.  It only took a couple of seconds to ask her, ‘is there anything you would like us to pray about?’, and you could see her release of emotion as she shared her agony. 

One minute of time likely gave this young woman hope, and prayerfully Hope in Christ.  Please keep others -especially those who you may randomly meet – in your prayers and pray with them and share with them the Gospel of Christ.  Share the Love of Christ with someone today – even if you don’t know them and likely may not ever meet them again.