Thursday, August 10, 2017

The Commandment Is Not Hard

For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.” (Deuteronomy 30:11, ESV)

We often find the ways of God difficult, and Jesus even tells us that it will be so (Matthew 7:14). But the ways of God are not inherently difficult. God did not design them to be difficult. We find them difficult because of our nature. The commandments themselves are not hard. They are hard because we have placed ourselves in difficult circumstances. We make it hard for ourselves (Proverbs 13:15).

When we first begin to walk with God, the way seems difficult, the commandments seem hard. But if we are faithful to his commands, we find that they are not a burden (1 John 5:3). “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (Proverbs 4:18, ESV).

The Lord’s commandment is not inherently difficult. We make it difficult by our attitude.

The choice is ours. We can willingly submit ourselves to the Lord, in which case we will generally find the way growing easier and the commands lighter as we go along. Or we may attempt to grudgingly follow Jesus, in which case the way will always seem hard and the commandments will always be a burden.

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