Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Jeremiah 4:19–6:15 | Colossians 1:18–2:7 | Psalm 77:1–20 | Proverbs 24:23–25

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Don’t Give Up

Have you ever known exactly what you needed to do—and still wished there were an easier way to do it?

Some of the most worthwhile things in life are also some of the hardest. Forgiving someone who deeply hurt us. Walking away from something we desperately want but know isn’t good for us. Having the uncomfortable conversation. Staying committed when quitting would be easier. Obeying God when we don’t understand where He’s leading. Doing what is right when it costs us something.

Today, the Lord gave me this simple Gem:

“Sometimes the hardest things become the most worth it to do.”

I think we naturally associate difficulty with something being wrong. When resistance comes, we wonder, God, if You really want me to do this, shouldn’t it be easier?

But hard doesn’t necessarily mean wrong.

In today’s reading, Paul describes the cost of following God’s calling on his life. He says, “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.”(Colossians 1:24 NLT)

Paul wasn’t saying suffering itself was good. He understood that what he was accomplishing through his obedience was worth the difficulty it required.

That’s an important distinction.

We don’t need to go looking for hardship or assume everything difficult must be God’s will. Sometimes difficulty is a warning to stop. We still need wisdom and discernment. But when we know God has asked us to do something, difficulty alone isn’t a reason to quit.

Sometimes the hard thing is hard because it matters.

Jeremiah certainly knew this. Today’s reading is filled with his anguish over what he saw happening among God’s people. He carried messages they didn’t want to hear and confronted sin they didn’t want exposed. Jeremiah 6:14 describes people trying to treat serious wounds as though they were nothing, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.

It would have been easier to tell people what they wanted to hear.

But easier wasn’t what God asked of him.

Sometimes love requires us to do the uncomfortable thing rather than the easy thing.

Psalm 77 gives us another picture of perseverance. The writer is overwhelmed and distressed, wondering whether God has forgotten him. Then something changes. He begins deliberately remembering what God has done before:

“But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.”
—Psalm 77:11 NLT

His circumstances hadn’t suddenly become easy. His focus changed.

That is something we can do when the hard thing begins wearing us down. Instead of only looking at how difficult the road ahead appears, we can look backward and remember how faithfully God has carried us before.

Maybe you’re doing something hard right now.

Maybe you’re rebuilding something that broke. Maybe you’re caring for someone when you’re exhausted. Maybe God is asking you to forgive, change, wait, speak up, let go, keep going, or begin again.

Don’t measure its worth by how easy it feels.

Ask instead, Is this where God is leading me?

Because if He is, the difficulty may someday look very different from the other side.

Paul tells the Colossians to continue following Christ, letting their roots grow down into Him and building their lives upon Him (Colossians 2:6–7). Roots don’t become strong because they’ve never faced resistance. They grow deeper as they hold firmly to what sustains them.

Perhaps that’s what God is doing in some of our hardest places.

Sometimes the thing we most want to avoid becomes the very thing we’re most grateful we didn’t give up on. 💎

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take at least 5 minutes to be with the Lord today. Ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want me to know about this personally?”
  • Journal what He gives you through His Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what He reveals – then do it!

Think about something difficult you’re facing right now. Instead of immediately asking God to make it easier, ask Him, “Is this something You want me to keep walking through?” If the answer is yes, ask Him for the strength, wisdom, and perseverance to remain faithful until you reach the other side.

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Prayer

Father, when something becomes difficult, help me not to automatically assume I should quit. Give me wisdom to know when You are redirecting me and when You are asking me to persevere. When the road is hard, remind me of all the ways You have carried me before. Root me deeply in Jesus so that my strength comes from You rather than my circumstances. Help me trust that sometimes the hardest things can become the most worthwhile things I ever choose to do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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