Nov 12 Devotion: The Ministry of Inconvenience

Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

         It is interesting the perspectives that we can come up with sometimes. There are those that would believe that after a person is saved, they simply glide into heaven one day after a life of smooth sailing. I mean, I got saved, so everything from this point forward is easy; right? Some will even take the verses in Matthew 11 as their proof.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

         This is not describing a life of ease but a life that has been made possible by Christ on our behalf. The yoke is easy and the burden light because Jesus Christ is in that yoke with you, making the difference. It is not teaching a life of ease. If that were true, then Acts 14:22 would be untrue (and we know that cannot be).

         We live in a world dominated by sin, and it functions as an enemy to God. As his child, we are on a different side from the world. To live for the Lord in such an environment is not easy and to serve God with such opposition is inconvenient. We are to live a life that is anti-sin, anti-world, anti-devil, and anti-flesh. It is inconvenient to go against the flow when everything else is trying to push you in another direction. It is inconvenient to make a stand when it seems that sometimes you stand alone. (But don’t believe you are alone, for when you stand for the Lord, the Lord stands with you.) It is inconvenient to live right when it is so much easier to simply give in to the pressure. Compromise is an easier path to travel. Losing makes no demands of you but to simply give up. It is inconvenient to stand and fight. There is much to do, and it is easier not to do it. But please understand that a life of inconvenience that is lived in service for the Lord is well worth it. A life of inconvenience lived for the Lord is a blessed life. You’ll see if you live it.  

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

In Christ’s Service,

Bro. Adrian Moore

2 Cor. 4:5