In all things, large and small, we must choose between doing things the right way or the easy way. There is an easy way to brush your teeth, and there is the right way. There is an easy way to take care of your car, and there is the right way. When the right way is the hard way, we oftentimes find it difficult to make the right decision. How many of us brush our teeth the way our dentist recommends? It is natural to want to do things the easy way, but as we know, this does not always lead to the best results.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. There is an easy way to serve the Lord, and there is the right way. They are not the same way. The scripture is full of great examples of individuals choosing to serve God the right way, even when the right way was not easy. Hebrews 11 tells us that when Moses was given the choice between a life of wealth in Egypt or a life of mistreatment and hardship with his own people, he made the right decision instead of the easy decision.

The Scriptures also have many examples of individuals that made poor decisions because they were not willing to do what is hard. Mark 10 tells the story of the rich young ruler that asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to follow the commands of Moses, which the young man found easy to do. Jesus then tells the man to give up his riches and follow him. Sadly, the young man finds this hard to do and he went away from Jesus.

God expects those in his service to do the right thing all the time, even when the right thing is hard. The challenge we face today is that our culture makes it very easy to do the wrong thing. It is easy to be entertained by fornication, dishonesty, and poor morals when we watch television programs. We find it easy to pursue worldly careers and material gain. We find it easy to fit in, to conform, and to be like everyone else.

All of these things are easy, but they are not right. In the constant battle between our flesh and our spirit, our flesh is constantly encouraging us to do things the easy way. But the easy way does not lead to our destination. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:14) One of the greatest challenges we face is not just doing what is right. It’s doing what is right when the right thing is not pleasant, easy, or comfortable. The challenge is doing what is right even when we may not want to. We should be encouraged though by remembering that doing things the right way refines us, makes us stronger, and is God’s will for us while we are on this Earth.

“For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” (Psalms 66:10)