A Glory Seed Devotional
Easy paths and difficult paths…
“Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14, CEV)
You think it would be the narrow gate that would be easy instead of the wide gate after all Jesus is the narrow gate and with the Holy Spirit living and breathing in us moving through life should be a “piece of cake!” But as you and I know that is not the case it's much easy to go with the flow than against it. What makes it easier to go with the flow than against it? Some will tell you that it is sin that makes it easy. They are wrong!
James explains it’s not sin but our desire for the easy way, “God will bless you, if you don’t give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him. Don’t blame God when you are tempted! God cannot be tempted by evil, and he doesn’t use evil to tempt others. We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.” (James 1:12–15, CEV)
In his book "The Road Less Traveled" M. Scott Peck wrote, "Life is difficult but when you realize life is difficult it is no longer difficult." That was hard for me to grasp. Then one fateful day when there were more difficulties than there was of me I remembered a favorite prayer of my mom, “LORD, give me strength!” so I found myself asking Jesus to strengthen me rather than asking for the easy way out. Then what M. Scott Peck was saying made sense to me when we realize life is difficult and beyond our abilities and we ask for help they are no longer difficult.
Life is not about easy paths nor is life about difficulties although there are easy paths and difficult paths in life. Life according to Jesus is about abundance “…I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, LEB) The abundance Jesus speaks about is God’s hope, joy, love, peace, and strength.
LORD, see us through our difficulties send the Holy Spirit with the abundance of your hope, joy, love, peace, and strength. Amen!
Believe it! Experience it!
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
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“Turn to the LORD! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6, CEV)
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Scripture marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
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