The Red Devil Tool Company of Union, New Jersey has as its slogan, “It’s easy with the devil;” meaning, of course, that their tools make difficult tasks easier. It’s a light-hearted play on a theme that’s as old as humankind: life’s easier with the devil. Or perhaps to put it in a more modern way, stop worrying about whether there’s a God and the high moral and ethical standards of the Bible, and your life will be so much easier. Even the Bible itself talks about “the pleasures of sin;” however we should note that it goes on to add, “Which are for a season.” As responsible parents, we go to great lengths to teach our children that the easy way is usually not the best way and that delayed, rather than instantaneous, gratification is one of the marks of maturity.
It is “easy with the devil,” – but only up to a point.