Are Christians Too Comfortable?
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
Proverbs 6:6 (NLT)
"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!"
1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
1 Timothy 4:1-8(ESV)
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. A Good Servant of Christ Jesus. If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
Compassion International is an organization that recognizes different states that are serving others admittedly for their beliefs. I was part of the effort to help my city become one. I have never really been a part of a religious organization without Christ being at the center and was a little skeptical at first; but I found that actually, it allowed me not only to step back and embrace the many differences with love and respect, but also to be bold in my walk with the Lord. While the effort encouraged us to reach out to others in need, it also enticed us to do that through encouragement rather than persecution or condemnation.
Are the Christians of today too comfortable? My youth pastor told us once that something is wrong with us if we are comfortable. I didn’t understand this at the time, but later realized that stepping out of our comfort zone creates humility. We are all human, so our souls need to be constantly fed and nourished just like any other part of our body, so as to not stunt our spiritual growth. When they are not nourished it is like someone who is told to lose weight, but does not put in the recommended exercise and still expects results. Putting into practice the spiritual discipline of being willing to be taught and led nourishes our souls; it grows and sprouts abundant fruit for a healthy spiritual growth.
Compassion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmRoyqDDs1g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wktlwCPDd94
Do Something - Matthew West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_RjndG0IX8
We are Cathedrals Mike Donehey Video Journal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0l2UmNy5wA&list=PLrq5kfc63lHdyJ7sHMNwKKqGXmMO4G-OA
Too Comfortable
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=JMFM9MNU
I really appreciate your reminder that it takes humility to take ourselves out of our comfort zone. Instead of relying on our own strength, we must rely on God’s strength. In fact, you could argue that simple obedience to the Lord oftentimes requires us to do uncomfortable things. For instance, in Genesis 22 we see God’s test for Abraham’s faith—offering up his only son Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. Abraham obeyed God because he had faith that even if Isaac were to die, that the Lord would keep His covenant and create a great nation from him. If we could capture even a tiny bit of Abraham’s incredible faith, I bet we would think less of our own comfort and live in obedience to God’s Word more often. And part of developing our faith, like you mentioned, is to pray for things that God loves. In the case of evangelism, that could include a greater enthusiasm for the gospel, boldness in sharing it, and a greater love for the lost.
ReplyDeleteYou also mentioned that when you encounter struggles, you find yourself complaining and questioning God. If you could think of a specific example of when you felt yourself doing this and explained that in detail, I think you could help your readers relate to you so much more! I think we all are willing to admit that we question God sometimes, but we do so in different ways. And I feel like if you were to share something tangible on how you’ve done that in the past, we could all profit in seeing how someone in your situation turns away from doubt and grows more in their faith in Christ.
~Dustin
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DeleteThank you so much for the feedback. I'm glad you were encouraged. My initial goal was to find an outlet for the things in life I have struggled with, but my hope is that it encourages people in the faith and brings others to Christ.
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