Easy Street?

Come to Christ, they said; your life will be perfect, they said.  If your life is all messed up, follow Christ and your life will be perfect.  How many times have you ever heard this?  All of this sounds great, but unfortunately it doesn’t always work out like this.  Our life does not become instantly happy because and lovely just because we put our trust and faith in Christ.  In fact, often our life gets harder.  Instead of life on easy street we feel like we go straight from the frying pan to the fire.  Instead of everything getting easier, we find ourselves facing opposition, being ridiculed and persecuted.  Saul was on his way up the religious ladder.  He was persecuting followers of Jesus, for him, everything was looking up.  He met God and he was changed.  In an instant, he went from the persecutor to being persecuted.  For him, everything got suddenly harder.   In fact listen to Saul/Paul tell us about his life “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”  Friends, this does not sound like a good time.  Yet Paul says it’s all worth it if others follow Christ. Likewise we should not be surprised when we encounter problems as a Christian.  I am sure that some of the problems is a spiritual battle.  In short, They are Satanic attacks.  Satan wants to discourage us and tries to convince us to give up our Christian walk. Jesus never promised an easy life as a Christian.  What he does say is that it would be worth it, that he would be there with us when the storms rage and the waters rise.  What a comfort to know that God promised to go with us no matter what happens.