Nobody Ever Said That This Was Going To Be Easy

First reading	1 John 3:7-10

No-one sins who has been begotten by God

My children, do not let anyone lead you astray:

to live a holy life

is to be holy just as he is holy;

to lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil,

since the devil was a sinner from the beginning.

It was to undo all that the devil has done

that the Son of God appeared.

No one who has been begotten by God sins;

because God’s seed remains inside him,

he cannot sin when he has been begotten by God.

In this way, we distinguish the children of God

from the children of the devil:

anybody not living a holy life

and not loving his brother

is no child of God’s.

Nobody ever said that being a Christian was going to be easy.  To be a Christian we have to fight against the effects of original sin every day.  These effects are those that bring out our darker side.  It showcases our greed, selfishness, envious natures.  It brings to the front those things that say "Me First."  Being a Christian is to push these all too human traits to the rear and to allow the light of Christ which is in our hearts to shine through. 

It is not sufficient to accept Christ as a savior and ask Him into your heart and then go on your merry way continuing a life where His greatness and His love are blocked from view by our sinfulness.  Yes, ask Jesus into your heart and know that this is a place where He wants to be but then accept His challenge to walk the road to glory, the road that leads not to the gratification of self but to the cross.  Where our Master has been, we too need to pass. Walk the Road to Glory with a joy that will end in the supreme joy of standing next to Jesus on the day you arrive home. 

Give a listen to Michael Card.