Is Christian Living Easy or Hard

Published: Fri, 05/19/17

The Table of Contents tells the story:

Chapter 1: Jesus’ Easy Yoke

Chapter 2: Transformed by Training

Chapter 3: Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind

Chapter 4: Transformed by Worship

Chapter 5: Transformed in Community

Chapter 6: Transformed by Habit

Chapter 7: Transformed by the Power of the Holy Spirit

Chapter 8: Transformed by Example

Chapter 9: Transformed by Trying

Chapter 10: Transformed by Faith

Chapter 11: Transformed by Speaking the Truth

Chapter 12: Transformed by Pain

Chapter 13: Transformed by Sovereign Grace

Contact: josh@joshhhunt.com

575.650.4564

www.joshhunt.com

Lessons are around $10 per teacher per year for medium-sized churches. Other plans available. See www.mybiblestudylessons.com

 

 

 

I have just released a new book and Bible study called How to Live The Christian Life. The big idea is that Christian living is not about trying really hard to be good. It is about being transformed by things like training, the renewing of our mind, worship, pain, and 9 other things.

Here is an excerpt:

Is Christian living easy or hard?

Is it easy or hard for you to live the Christian life?

I have asked this question to thousands of Christians and consistently they will answer with resolve, “Hard!”

Then, I show them this familiar verse:

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30 (NIV2011)

I ask again, wording the question slightly differently, “Did Jesus teach that following Him would be easy or hard?” Puzzled looks.

I never get an explanation this complete, but it seems they are saying, “I don’t care what that verse says, believe me, Christian living is very, very hard.”

One word of clarification. I am not asking whether life is hard. Our experience confirms what Jesus taught: life is hard. “In this world you will have trouble.” John 16:33 (NIV2011) Trouble. Life is hard.

I am asking whether Christian living is easy or hard, not whether life is easy or hard. In this world full of difficulties, is it easy or hard to live as Jesus taught?

The answer seems clear. Jesus taught that His yoke is easy. Could it be we have put on some other yoke?

Perhaps we have put on the yoke of religion.

Perhaps we have put on the yoke of duty.

Perhaps we have put on the yoke of feel-good-faith.

Perhaps we have put on the yoke of legalism.

Perhaps we have put on the yoke of moralism.

Perhaps we have put on the yoke of trying really hard to be good.

If the yoke that we have around our neck is not easy, it is not Jesus’ yoke.

 

The book and study guide are both available on Amazon. The study guide is also avail as well as part of my Good Questions Have Groups Talking subscription service.

This service is like Netflix for Bible Lessons. You pay a low monthly, quarterly or annual fee and get access to all the lessons. New lessons that correspond with three of Lifeway's outlines are automatically included, as well as a backlog of thousands of lessons. Each lesson consists of 20 or so ready-to-use questions that get groups talking, as well as answers from well-known authors such as David Jeremiah, Charles Swindoll and Max Lucado. For more information, or to sign up, click here.