It’s hard, but it’s worth it!

 

Do you ever entertain the thought that working on your spiritual growth and trying to walk the Christian life and grow more like Christ is just plain hard?

I think, we as Christians, need to talk about this more often.

Can I let you in on a little secret? No one and I mean no one, has it all together.

Not your pastor, not your favourite missionary, not your parents, not your Bible study teacher, not your youth director and not you!

And that’s okay.

We are all in different walks of life, different seasons, different levels of growth and none of it is easy.

Letting God change you is hard. Dying to self is hard. Staying quiet when you want to speak is hard. Speaking when you want to stay silent is hard. Waiting on God is hard. Trusting when you’re freaking out is hard. Fighting the daily battle with your flesh is hard.

Walking the Christian life is not a casual stroll in the park. Well, not a beautiful botanical garden type park. Sometimes, it’s more of a Jurassic Park.

But, if you’re going through this process of sanctification, and letting God work, just know that it is worth it. When you reach Heaven and the crowns are handed out, and you let go of them and lay them at Christ’s feet, with utter abandon in a posture of worship, it will all be worth it.

Don’t let the hard discourage you.

(Can I just say here that I see people doing hard stuff all the time. People are running marathons in their 40’s and 50’s and beyond. Others are managing small farms, providing food for their families. Others are learning new skills that take hours of their day to perfect. People are doing hard things. If this is you, then don’t use the excuse that Christian growth is too hard, and you don’t have time to spend with God. You are already doing the hard. You are already spending time doing the hard. You can do the hard)

There are days that you will struggle to make time to spend with the Lord. There will be days when you react rather than respond. Every day you will face the flesh wanting to indulge in pleasures instead of doing what it should.

But, as Christians, we have the Lord on our side and we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, speaking to us and guiding us each step we take.

It’s not easy getting up a little earlier in order to spend much needed time in the Word. It’s not easy to lay our phones down and read our Bibles instead. But, oh how we need to!

Our spiritual growth is entirely dependent on how much time we spend with the Lord, reading his Word, talking with him, listening to him and obeying him.

Yes, it would be a whole lot easier to just let the Pastor preach to us on a Sunday and let that take us through the week. But you know as well as I do that it’s not enough. No matter how good your Pastor is, it will not suffice.

You have to be in the Word yourself! Daily!

And yes, it’s hard.

We often use the excuse, “I haven’t got time”. I know most of us lead very busy lives, but we can’t use that excuse. It won’t wash with God. He gave us all 24 hours in a day, and he knows that we can make time to spend with him in all our busyness, it’s just a matter of priorities.

The next time you want to make the excuse, “I haven’t got time”, try saying this instead, “It’s not a priority”. How does that feel? Yeah. Hurts, doesn’t it?

The next time you realise you need to spend time in the Word but think you don’t have time, say aloud, “It’s not a priority”. See if that changes your perspective.

The Bible tells us that if we seek God first, he’ll take care of the other things.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

What things? The preceding verses talk about worrying about food and clothing and how God knows what we need.

We fret and worry and think that the washing and cleaning and cooking is so important, and it is, but what is it we’re to seek first? Christ and his kingdom.

Making time to spend with the Lord is crucial. It should be our highest priority. It needs to be done. If we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and if we are to become the men and women God would have us be, then making time for Him has to be at the top of our to do lists.

It’s plain hard work to get up a few minutes earlier, or stay up a few minutes later, just to have a quiet time with the Lord. I am not speaking from a place of perfection or having it all together.

For many years I failed to put God first, but after years of neglecting what was important, I have found God to be faithful to His Word. When I ask Him to help me in making time for Him a priority, and I do my part, by waking earlier or rearranging my schedule, he answers and gives me those little windows of uninterrupted quiet time in His presence, alone with Him.

We all live busy lives and some more than others, and no, we don’t have time. We have to make time. Make time, as in cause something to exist or come about. It doesn’t just happen.

I don’t have time to sew and bake and take photos and spend time with my grandkids, but you know what? I make time for those things when I want to because I enjoy them. I make the effort to put aside other things in order to do the things I love.

We make time to do the things we love. We make time to do the things that are important. And isn’t spending time with the Lord something important? Shouldn’t our hearts desire to feed on God’s Word and to spend time in prayer and study?

Psalm 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

The Lord knows your needs and what time needs to be given to the things in your lives. He understands that we are not to neglect our families and loved ones and our responsibilities, but oh how much more effective we can be if we make the time to sit in his presence, seeking him first above everything else.

Seasons of life change, and you will find that at different times in your life you’ll have less time and at others you’ll have more time to spend in His Word, but He will bless you with your widow’s mite if given in sincerity.

If you truly desire to grow spiritually and you long for a deeper relationship with Christ, he will help you make him a priority.

And you know what? I have found that the more time you spend with him, the more time you’ll crave to sit with him more. You will soon find that the 5 minutes you set aside to read his Word will not be enough and you’ll need 5 more and then 10 more. It will only whet your appetite and before you know it, you’ll be putting other things aside in order to spend more time with him.

Spending time with God will not only refresh you, energize, strengthen and empower you, it will also have a great effect on your spiritual growth.

Like I said at the beginning, spiritual growth is hard and the reason it’s hard is because we are imperfect humans. And we have a flesh that rages within us, with selfish desires. But, with God’s strength, we can stand up to it, push it down and choose to let God win.

We can’t do it on our own. We have to have the power of the Holy Spirit.

It’s not easy, but with God, all things are possible.

We will face trials and hardships; we will struggle to walk close to the Lord and follow his leading. God didn’t paint a picture of flowery beds of ease, he clearly stated that we will have trouble. (John 16:33)

But he also told us that we will have his help.

Matthew 28:20b and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And even though growing spiritually is hard work, producing the right kind of fruit (Gal. 5:22,23) and walking after the spirit (Gal. 5:16) is not easy, it is necessary in the life of the Christian.

We were not called, chosen, loved, forgiven and redeemed to simply walk through life unchanged, God has called us to be lights to a dark world. Beacons of hope and love. And the only way to do this is by growing in Christ. By being made more like him, so that when others see us, they see him.

Make it your desire and mission to always be growing. Always be learning. Always be studying the Word. You will never exhaust the treasures found in the Bible and you will never reach perfection, but you can push through the hard for your good, God’s glory and for eternal value.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (Jam. 4:8)

Don’t neglect your growth, even though it’s hard.

Nothing is gained by ease. All is gained by perseverance and steadfastness.

Galatians 6:9 KJV - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.