That’s my son, Adam, in the video below.  We stopped by “Rita’s Italian Ice” (which is more addictive than crack, IMHO) and thought we’d let Adam try it.  As you can see from the video, he wasn’t sure that he liked it at first, but he kept going for more.  I think that even though his first reaction was negative, something inside him kept telling him, “Hey!  This is really good stuff.  Just hang in there and it will pay off!”  Eventually, it seems like a good thing to him.

Sometimes we may seem a bit like that with God and some of the ways that He instructs us in the Bible.  We may see a command or two of God as being “hard to swallow.”  At MJLifeChurch, one of our core values is that the Bible is our compass for living.  Sometimes when we first hear of something that God tells us to do, we try to push back.  It just seems contrary to everything that we’ve ever been taught.  We react a bit like Adam did in the video above.  We turn up our noses.  One example of this might be where the Bible talks about give our tithe, or 10% of our income.  Another might be where what God says contradicts our own “feelings.”

Once we walk with God for a while, it becomes evident that the One that made us actually does know a thing or two about how we can make our lives work best.  Psalm 1 tells us “blessed is the man…who’s delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law, he meditates day and night.”  God isn’t a cosmic killjoy, out to spoil our efforts to get ahead and have fun in the world.  His instructions and commands are actually for our good.

God doesn’t promise us an easy road.  In fact, Jesus said that “in this life, we will have trouble.”  It’s comforting to me to know that if I’m living in good times or in troubling times, I have a God that cares enough to give me instructions on how to navigate this life and make a difference at the same time.

Next time you're reading God’s Word and His commands are a bit tough to swallow, much like the “Rita’s Ice” was for my son Adam, trust Him and stay the course.  He not only sees the end of the journey, but also every one of your steps along the way.