You try every day to live Godly and upright, struggling uphill against your flesh. It's possible with God's strength, granted, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Let's say it like it is: fighting the sin nature sucks. Keeping your desires at bay is about as pleasant as doing the dishes or exercising: you can discipline yourself to make it a habit, but that doesn't mean you'll ever enjoy it.
The Bible says God will bless those who love His commandments in Psalm 112:1...Yet again, let's be frank. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and leaves you feeling anything but blessed. Meanwhile, you can't help but notice Joe Hedonist down the street getting everything he wants out of life and more. This raises some questions that every Christian ends up asking sometime in their walk with God:
Why does the ungodly life sometimes seem more profitable than the righteous one?
The fact of the matter is that the unrighteous life isn't more profitable: it is simply easier. Yes, it is easier to cheat on your taxes than to do them correctly. Yes, it is easier to give in to your fleshly desires than to struggle against them. Yes, it is easier to run a business that rips people off and cuts corners left and right. Ease, however, doesn't equal happiness, just as material success doesn't equal happiness. The life of the wicked, no matter how "successful" it might appear on paper, is empty and unsatisfying. Psalm 21:17 says it best: Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich. On the other hand, the peace and satisfaction a person gets from living in God's plan for them is beyond any success you can achieve living outside of God's will.
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us..."And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." If you stand on God's Word, and believe that he wants to reward you for your diligence, He will never let you down. A gift from God is always better than a gift from the world, because what He gives no one can take away. The path that God has instructed us to walk is hard, and it isn't always fun, but it is ALWAYS more rewarding in the end.
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