comfort
Comfort. We all want it to some degree. To be able to sit back in our comfort zone and just enjoy life. See, the only problem with that is that sometimes, God calls us to step out of this place and follow him. Follow him whereever he takes us. This, to be perfectly honest scares the crap right out of me. It is way to tempting to be a comfortable Christian, to be a pew warmer. To go to church and sing the songs, never really realizing that God wants our entire selves. He want sit all. Imagine having been Abraham, your only son whom you love, and God calls you to laying him to on an alter and sacrifice him. Imagine saying "not my will but yours God". Obviously we know the story, God spared Issac, but not before Abrahams faith was put into action.
God calls us to love him, to trust him, and yes, to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. I'll admit that I get scared of where that could lead me. To be depised and rejected by men(if Jesus himself was, then surely his followers will too). God may just call us to be a little uncomfortable. But its pretty clear, we cannot serve two masters, we either love one and hate the other or hate one and love the other. Satan, not unlike the way he tempted Jesus, offers us the world, a life of comfort and riches and 'friends'. Jesus offers us himself, and he has overcome the world.
In then end, this life, this flesh and these bones will pass away. Time is short. you can spend a nice comfortable eighty years here, trusting in yourself, serving yourself, and looking out for yourself. Or you can spend these fleeting moments denying yourself and surrendering yourself to the master, to the King. Jesus himself wanted comfort when he was praying in the garden. "God, if theres anyway, please take this cup from me". He didnt want to do it, not go through the Hell and torchure. "Not my will but yours be done". But he denied himself, in every sense of the word. And at his name, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
God calls us to love him, to trust him, and yes, to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. I'll admit that I get scared of where that could lead me. To be depised and rejected by men(if Jesus himself was, then surely his followers will too). God may just call us to be a little uncomfortable. But its pretty clear, we cannot serve two masters, we either love one and hate the other or hate one and love the other. Satan, not unlike the way he tempted Jesus, offers us the world, a life of comfort and riches and 'friends'. Jesus offers us himself, and he has overcome the world.
In then end, this life, this flesh and these bones will pass away. Time is short. you can spend a nice comfortable eighty years here, trusting in yourself, serving yourself, and looking out for yourself. Or you can spend these fleeting moments denying yourself and surrendering yourself to the master, to the King. Jesus himself wanted comfort when he was praying in the garden. "God, if theres anyway, please take this cup from me". He didnt want to do it, not go through the Hell and torchure. "Not my will but yours be done". But he denied himself, in every sense of the word. And at his name, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
6 Comments:
At 6:01 p.m., Anonymous said…
Lisa, that was intense yet very true, it is tough to give your whole self and I myself know that I don't give everything I have to God, which is what I am working on doing.
At 9:53 a.m., Harley McCarville said…
Lisa, good message. I think if we are all completely honest with ourselves we find we're guilty of trying to have the best of both worlds. Thank goodness for "Forgiveness of Sins"! The more we study "The Word" the more we realize just how hard this is. The life of a Christian is a life of sacrifice ... but the reward at the end makes it all worth while.
At 5:33 p.m., Matt said…
Hey, do you realize that you are not 24, but 25, pushing close to 26? Just in case you wanted to update your profile with the TRUTH...
At 11:56 a.m., Francine said…
You should be a writer or preacher or something!
At 11:58 a.m., Francine said…
Aren't you surprised I know how to leave comments:)...and I now try to update my blog once a week!
At 11:59 a.m., Francine said…
Now I made you think you got all these comments, bit it's just me. Hehehe
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