Grace is easy to accept, living in light of it is difficult. In the work of Jesus on the cross, this amazing thing happens; He takes our penalty, and we get freedom from sin. We call that action the grace of God. It is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, and all we have to do is accept it. We then spend the rest of our lives following Jesus example and living out his teachings. It seems like this should be easy to do since grace was so simple to accept. The harsh reality is that walking the path of faith with Jesus is usually a challenge. Here are some of the things I find the most challenging to people.

1. Learning Does Not Come Natural. When I ask people, especially men, to read their Bible, I usually get a “Yeah; I should” response. Then when I press them on the issue I frequently encounter the same struggle, “I know I should read the Bible, but I hate to read.” I know this is true because this was once me. For years and years, I struggled to read my Bible. I could get into magazines because of the short nature of the writing, but I found the Bible was much more difficult. It took at least a year of focused reading and let’s be honest; some parts are boring. Finally, one day I started listening to the Bible on tape, and my world changed. Eventually, I went to a CD player, and now I have an app on my phone. I can listen, even when I don’t want to read. I found that I had to work to discover ways to learn the Bible. It seems like it should come easy, but anything worth knowing usually takes work. This is true in the life of faith. Learning the things of God are not comfortable, convenient or fun. They require hard work and concerted effort.

2. Faith Requires Us to Do Difficult Things. When you chose to follow Jesus, you are not choosing the path of least resistance. Most often you will find yourself having to ignore your feelings and do the right thing. In fact, our natural inclinations are usually wrong. Jesus calls me to respond to anger with love and to see past the hate to offer kindness. The way of Jesus pushes me to confront sin and expose my shame. The Christian life is a call to stand up for what is right when everyone else is doing wrong. I wanted my journey of faith to be wide and easy and Jesus made is narrow and difficult.

3. There is Resistance on Every Side. I thought the majority of people would be happy that I was a nice moral believer who seeks to follow Jesus. Nothing could be further from the truth. On one side some non-believers do not want to hear about sin or morality. On the other side were Christians who were convinced I was living my faith wrong. Both inside and outside of the Church were people more than willing to point out my every flaw in thought and action. The support I thought would be there was usually nonexistent. I found myself facing a tide of people who did not care about my soul or my walk with God.

Whenever I meet someone who acts like faith is easy, and their journey with Jesus is all sunshine and flowers, I know they are putting on an act. I often compare it with sports. The best players are not the ones where everything comes easy. The best players are those who rise early and arrive before everyone else, they work the hardest and stay the latest. They are people who work hard to achieve. The Christian life is not so different. If you want to be the best version of you, then it will take work every day, day in and day out.

I wish I could tell you the journey of faith is easy, but it is not. So today, instead of whining and complaining, why don’t you pick yourself up and go to work.

There are no Christian things. There are no Non-Christian things. There are just things.

Your phone is just a thing. Your computer is just a tool. Your children’s sports are only activities. Your job is just work. Your hobbies just fill time. Everything in your life is a thing.

These things can be used for God. You can use your phone to read the Bible and have devotions. You can use your TV to watch educational and uplifting programs. Your hobbies and activities can bring you closer to God and give you a witness to the world about your faith in Jesus. Every tool can be used in some way to promote the kingdom of God in your life and society.

These things can also be used for evil. That same phone can distract you from your marriage and things that matter. That computer can be a portal to the vilest forms of sexual misconduct known to humanity. Your hobbies and activities can separate you from God and his community of believers. Every tool can be used in some way to drive a wedge between you and God while hurting your Christian witness.

The items are neutral, but your use of them is not. Are the things in your life bringing the kingdom of God to earth or are they a tool of evil? Your choice will be seen in your actions.

The hard part, the Bible says that Satan likes to parade as an angel of light. He is also described as the father of lies. One of his primary actions is to take things that look good and use them for evil. He likes to use subtle lies to twist our thinking and make good things turn negative. I want everything to be black and white, and the Devil paints with gray.

The challenge of our lives to evaluate our actions to their logical outcome with total honesty. Are you using the things in your life for God or are you being deceived? That is a more difficult question to answer.

This week is the funeral of Billy Graham. His passing resulted in a plethora of articles written by bloggers like myself. While I appreciate the life and work of Mr. Graham, the articles posted about him have left me a little concerned.

Several of the articles I read spoke of Billy Graham as a “hero” of the faith. Personally, I am incredibly uncomfortable with that type of language.

First, it begins to separate the followers of Jesus into different categories. This is represented in other ways with titles like “clergy and laity.” It is a subtle shift from the “priesthood of all believers” to preachers somehow being closer to God and more admirable. Let me ask you, is Billy Graham any better in God’s sight than a lady who spends 50 years quietly teaching the children of the Church with no recognition?

Second, it continues to promote a “celebrity” culture in the Church. I cannot say this any more clearly, “I hate this thinking.” I believe we must be cautious about placing people of faith on a pedestal no matter what they have done. Once someone is lifted up, it is easy for them to become the object of our worship. Subtly we shift our faith into that person, and everything they say is correct. Then when some sin becomes public, our faith is shattered. I believe we are all equal in God’s sight no matter what we have said or done.

Third, Jesus is the true hero. In Paul’s first letter to the Church at Corinth, he posses an interesting question in the first chapter. He asks, “Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” Paul saw clearly that he was not the Savior. Jesus is our Savior. Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. A friend of mine used to argue that the word we translate as “author” in that passage should be “hero.” Christ alone is the hero of the New Testament and the Christian faith.

With all that said, I appreciate the life and work of Billy Graham. To be a hundred percent honest I have listened to only a little of his preaching and never read anything he wrote. His influence was most significant before my time in ministry. He was in his 70’s before I ever preached my first sermon. Everything I know about the man was that his life was devoted to telling people about Jesus. I understand that he proclaimed Christ as Lord and Savior to everyone he encountered while maintaining his integrity. I admire him for his work in the Lord. He was a simple man doing the Lord’s work.

I hope and pray that will be the story of my life. I want no monuments or plaques. I desire for no one to build me a memorial or name a building after me. I just want to be known as a man who God used to accomplish his work.

I will never be as well-known as Billy Graham and neither will you. That does not mean that we live inferior lives. God has a plan and purpose for you. Will you let God use your life?