When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still need one thing. Sell everything you have. Distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”
Luke 18:22
Has God ever asked you to do something hard? If not, then you probably just weren’t listening. At some point Jesus will ask you to do something that seems impossible, like “sell everything,” and you’ll have to decide whether to take him seriously or to just walk away sad because you know you can’t do whatever he’s asked.
The life of faith is not going to leave you the same. It’s gonna change you, and change can be frightening and hard. But unless you do those hard things, you won’t prove your faith. If you walk away like the rich man, sad that God asked too much of you because you really wanted to obey—but not that much!—then you have failed to believe. And when you fail to believe that what God asks of you is the best thing for you, you fail to receive the best that God has for you.
Jesus will never run after you. If you refuse to do the hard things he asks you to do, he’s just gonna let you go. He doesn’t force himself on anyone, and that’s not because he’s too arrogant or spiteful; that’s because he loves you enough to let you make up your own mind. And he wants you to love him enough to choose the hard way instead of the easy one.
The next time you know God is asking you to do something hard, make yourself do it. Don’t let your heart talk you out of it, but summon the will to do whatever he asks, especially the hard things, because that’s where your faith is formed. Death isn’t easy, but dying to yourself is a requirement of faith. Risk the pain of doing the hard things today and you will soon see the fruit of your faith.