Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build . . .” (Nehemiah 2:20, ESV)
When I was studying in Israel, I visited a site that required walking on a trail over some difficult terrain. The trail was marked. There were signs that had messages translated in several different languages. But one thing that I noticed was that as we progressed further out on the trail, there were no more English translations. I asked one of our instructors why there were no more English translations. His response was that Americans usually don’t make it this far on the trail.
Our lives are filled with comfort. If our homes get hot, we have air conditioning. If they get cold, we have heat. If we are hungry, we get something to eat. We could not imagine having the luxury of our cell phone at our side. We travel in our cars even short distances. We have luxuries today that ancient kings could not have imagined.
We spend much of our lives avoiding discomfort. But if our highest aim is to avoid discomfort, we will miss out on God’s abundance. Jesus says, “if we are to follow him, we must take up our cross.” That does not sound like something that is filled with comfort.
Sometimes we comfort ourselves with food. There is a reason we call it “comfort food.” Sometimes we comfort ourselves with spending. There are other times we avoid doing what we should and need to do because it is just too uncomfortable. Maybe it is confronting a co-worker that you would rather avoid. Maybe it is disciplining yourself to exercise. Maybe it is opening God’s Word, but it is more enjoyable to open Facebook or the latest mystery novel.
God does not call us to comfort. He calls us to faithfulness. He calls us to righteousness. And there are many times that those things will lead to great discomfort. But when we experience discomfort for a purpose, there is a reward to be discovered.
Reflection
- How is your comfort getting in the way of your abundance?
- What uncomfortable thing is God calling you to do that you are avoiding?
Prayer
Lord, too often I love my comfort. I avoid faithfulness because it is too inconvenient. I would avoid discipline because it doesn’t make me feel good. Give me a greater vision to see past temporary comforts to a greater comfort and reward that comes from living in obedience and faithfulness. Amen.
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