Day 21

Day 21 of Your Journey
Some Paths Were Meant to Be Hard

“The way of transgressors [sinners] is hard” (Prov. 13:15 KJV).

There are certain truths that God has made clearly evident in His creation. Romans 1 tells us that God has revealed Himself extravagantly in all that we see around us. We can gain an incredible grasp of His nature by studying the earth and the heavens and all their fullness.

There is another truth built into the very essence of life that we often overlook, however. According to Solomon in the book of Proverbs, God has ordered the world in such a way that to choose the path of sin is hard. It may look appealing; it may seem desirable to our flesh, but in the end it will include a cost greater than we imagined.

Understanding and remembering this truth is essential to right living, because it affects not only the choices we make but also how we respond to the choices of those around us. God’s truth is just as sure for others as it is for us. If they choose the path of sin, it will be a hard path.

Here, then, is the danger: Our tendency is to try to lessen sin’s consequences for those we love. In our thinking, this is a caring, compassionate response to the conflict we see.

However, in doing so we will find ourselves in opposition to God.

Remember, God disciplines those He loves. Can you imagine how we would respond if someone constantly sought to undo the correction we give to our own children? We do it because we love them; so also God does it as an act of love. To try to soften God’s correction is to claim that we know more of love than He does.

Making It Personal


Is there someone undergoing God’s discipline that you need to release to His loving correction? Are you choosing a path that will lead you into sin? Pray and submit to God’s perfect ways.