The Easy Way Out is the Dangerous Way

God lives and works today, but the hours come in every life when we are tempted to doubt God's reality, when the difficulties or suffering become too great and we don't know how to go on. Today's meditation by Basilea Schlink is a helpful word for just these times. Perhaps at a certain time we've made the decision to live according to the Bible.

We've made a commitment to God every time he gave us difficulties we would bear them willingly. By this move we were filled with peace and confidence and view of the future. But that was yesterday.

What about today? Watch out. Watch out for what? Watch out for Satan. He doesn't surrender his booty so easily.

So long as our discipleship of Jesus is more or less a matter of the intellect, Satan is quite happy to leave us under the delusion that we're on the right track. Yes, he even encourages us and strengthens us in this belief, for he knows that here we are so open to his influence. Why? A one-time commitment to bear difficulties in our lives is not enough, as I've experienced repeatedly.

We're soon at the end of our strength. We don't gain anything by just persevering if we don't cry to the Lord daily, asking for his help. Otherwise Satan is the winner, for he's able to whisper his lies into our ears.

And so the accusations and questions rise in our hearts. God has given me such troubles to bear in my family. I can't go on like this.

Or perhaps I can no longer work and live with these difficult people at the office. But do we realize that by doing this we're striking out at God? Some years ago I came to this realization with a shock. At the time I had only moaned inwardly, this burden is really too much.

And one day I noticed that this was nothing but great self-pity. But I didn't remain sitting there with this realization. I began to take measures.

I wrote down all the things in my life that were difficult for me to bear, and where I was tempted to protest strongly against God and his will. Then as a testimony before the visible and invisible world, I wrote after each item the words, I want to have precisely that. Consciously and deliberately I gave my yes to that which the Lord had laid upon me in the way of hardships.

Since that day everything changed in my life. From that time onwards the difficult became easy. Now, full of thanksgiving, I can testify the Lord makes the bitter sweet in our lives if we don't wish it away or rebel against it, but rather accept it humbly with a yes, Father.

Yes, thank the Father that he takes so much trouble to educate us with the problems and hardships in our lives. He could really make it much easier for himself. But he is concerned that we attain the goal of glory which can only be reached on the path of chastisements and suffering.

So when God the Father lays a burden on you, give yourself to it ever anew, trusting that his will is goodness, his heart only love, and the ways by which he leads us are good. You have been listening to a program written by Basilea Schlink of the Little Land of Canaan. To learn more about how God lives and works today, visit us at our website, www.canaan.org. If you contact us, we would be happy to send you a free inspirational booklet.

If you do not have access to the web, please write to God Lives and Works Today, 9849 North 40th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85028-4099. God bless you.