Are You Comfortable

This past Sunday, Joe held up both a window and a mirror for us to look into. He spoke about our tendency to get into a Christian rut, having made our lives comfortable by avoiding conflict and the hard work of putting ourselves out there for God to use us for His purposes.

Joe reminded us of those great kingdom-working heroes from the Bible, from a weeping prophet given a heart of mourning for his people to a “pharisee among pharisees,” who was given marching orders to reach the Jews and Gentiles. We were reminded that both Jeremiah and Paul had a deep love for those who were apart from God. That love would not let them rest or be comfortable while people were headed for hell.

We were reminded that while it is hot out, hell is hotter and while we rejoice that as believers in Jesus our sins are forgiven – we must weep for, mourn for, and reach out to those people around us who seem to be headed there.

I saw a sign this week in front of a church that read something like “It’s summer, don’t get a sin burn.” That’s cute, but the stark and scary truth is that many around us are lost. God has called us to obedience to reach out to them.

I like words – I like to take them apart and see what they mean. I was thinking about the concept of comfort and decided to dig into its meaning. “Com” means “with” and “fort” means “strength.” When Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, He also called Him the Comforter, so He was sending us a spirit to dwell in us and give us strength. This strength isn’t in the form of muscles, but it is spiritual, meant to be used for His glory, to make His name known, and to reach the lost.

Instead of prioritizing earthly comfort, let’s show up in heaven needing a rest and getting a “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”