I was just thinking about the difficulties we face as we look around us. Civil unrest is everywhere in our nation. I get disgusted with such. When I examine my attitudes toward others, I then realize that sometimes it’s just really hard to be a Christian. I realize that as I write this, I am preaching to the choir. You already know this. As Jude wrote, I want to remind you of what you already know.
• Being a Christian is more than just saying “I believe in Jesus Christ.” There should be a change that is evident, not just to the individual, but to others who see him or her in daily life. Paul, who wrote this letter to the Church at Galatia, also wrote to the Church at Corinth, which, by the way, was full of very immature believers. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17 NIV1984).When a person is saved from the condemnation of sin, that individual is changed — especially in the sight of God. But others should notice it, too.
• Even really good believers struggle with being a Christian. The apostle Paul was a changed man after his salvation experience on the Road to Damascus. People noticed the change very quickly. Although at first, even some of the disciples were leery of his profession of faith and desire to see people come to Christ. As good as he was, Paul struggled from time to time. Here is his own testimony: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Rom. 7:15).Do you know what Paul was saying? Simply this: “Sometimes it’s hard to be a Christian!”
• Struggling believers tend to blame others. Is that not what Adam did? God asked, “…Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Gen. 3:11).Notice how Adam responded: “The woman you put here with me — she gave me some of fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Gen. 3:12).Not only did Adam blame Eve, but He blamed God for putting Eve there with him in the first place. Now… let’s not just make Adam the only one to blame. Notice what Eve then said: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen. 3:13). We are like that, too. When we are wrong, we never want to admit it. We want to cast the blame on someone else… and as in the case with Adam and Eve… that someone else is someone whom we love and who loves us!
• When believers falter, Satan gets the blame. While Eve cast blame on Satan, do not think that we do not do the same thing. Comedian Flip Wilson’s favorite gag line was, “The Devil made me do it!” Don’t think for one minute that what he said is true. “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death”(James 1:13-15).
When we find ourselves in times when it’s hard to be a Christian, that’s when we must remember Jesus and say, “…Yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
