Sometimes It’s Hard to Be Good
By Shauna Leis
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
Romans 7:15-20
The night before had been a disaster. Grace had tested every single boundary that she possibly could and then some. Every single action was a battle ground, and the lines had been drawn. Eating her food was a challenge, finishing her milk was a challenge, getting up the stairs for bed was a challenge, getting ready for bed was a challenge, brushing her teeth was a challenge – well you get the idea. And it migrated over to pretty much the rest of the family. Our entire evening from that point forward was a challenge. I finally lost my temper with her and the rest of the family and had to ask for forgiveness for my careless words.
Grace, too, realized that the evening had been a struggle for everyone so on our way to work the next morning, she told me how sorry she was for her behavior the night before. And her next words caught me completely off-guard but were so incredibly profound for a four year-old. She said, “Mom, sometimes it’s hard to be good!” Wow, I was blown away by her statement and thought, how incredibly true were her words to all of our lives.
Sometimes, even for us adults, it is very hard to be good. Read the verses that Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans above. Paul, one of the greatest Christian orators of his time and the preacher of the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles, struggled with sin as well. He longed to be good, but as you can read from the verses above, Paul struggled with doing what he was supposed to do and not doing what he was not supposed to be doing. Dear friend, does it give you at least some comfort that even Paul struggled with sin and came to the conclusion just like my four year old that “sometimes, it’s hard to be good!”
Satan knows each and every temptation that will reach into the heart of our sinful nature and tempt us to be what we know we should not be. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Even Jesus was tempted after He had officially entered His Father’s service. Matthew 4 records for us the entire sequence of events surrounding His temptation. Verse 1 pretty much sums it all up, though, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
So, even though Jesus was fully divine, He was also fully human. He proved to all of us that it can be done - to resist temptation, even when the temptation was at the very heart of our desire. Matthew 4:2 indicates, “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Jesus had been out in the desert and had nothing to eat for forty days and nights, so naturally His physical body was very hungry. Satan entered the picture and knew right where to strike. Matthew 4:3 says, “The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” However, Jesus overcame Satan because He had an offensive weapon ready to strike back – the Word of God. Matthew 4:4 says, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’’” Jesus used the Word of God to resist Satan’s temptation schemes.
Jesus knew that we, too, would be tempted while in the world and told us just that. In some of His last words to the disciples before He was taken before Pilot, Jesus told the disciples that they were going to experience trouble in this world (John 16:33). However, Jesus already had a plan in place. He knew that in just a few days, He would give Himself up for all people for all times. And He knew that He would overcome the world through His sacrifice.
Paul gave us a clear description of how to “be good.” In 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, he says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” God is indeed faithful, dear friend, and He will provide a way out whenever temptation comes our way. When we are experiencing times when “it’s hard to be good,” His Word hidden in our hearts will remind us how to get out of the path of Satan and back on the road to God. So, commit today to knowing Him more, getting closer to Him, and understanding His Word, and you will start to see the way out whenever temptation comes a little too close for comfort. Will you trust Him today to see you through?
Pray with me: Precious God, we know that when we are in Your will we will indeed experience trouble in this world. Satan has control of the earth for a little while, but even he can only work under Your authority, and his time is very limited. God, we trust You today that You will strengthen us through Your Word when we face Satan’s temptations. Show us the way out – the door, the window, or whatever we need to escape the path of evil and get back on the path You have laid out for us. Help us to be good according to Your laws and commands. God, we love You so very much and pray all of this in the name above all names, Jesus Christ! Amen.