One pastor made an unforgettable comment from the pulpit; he said, “If I am completely honest with myself, the thing I desire most in life is my comfort and convenience.”
Truth be known, this sort of Christian perspective aligns with what most churched Americans are thinking. “Lord, don’t make me change. Don’t make me put forth much effort.” This is not exactly the sentiment of [tooltip text=”Let us then go to him outside the camp … For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”]Hebrews 13[/tooltip]. His purpose was to have us be involved in the enterprise of making disciples of the nations.
You and I are encouraged to serve with joy, ” … for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” [tooltip text=”For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. NLT”]Phil 2:13[/tooltip] Serving Him will give us great pleasure in this life and in the life to come.
Audacious faith dares to believe the Word and claim an active relationship with God. We do God more honor by believing what He has said about Himself and having the courage to come boldly to the throne of grace than by hiding in self-conscious humility among the trees of the garden.*
Make eye-contact with God and take an audacious, bold step by registering with MissionNext.org and see what options are available for compelling assignments to serve short-term, long term, at home or abroad that are surprisingly well-suited for you.
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Attribution:
* A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy Chapter 20, The Love of God
James articulates the benefits of serving, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4
1 thought on “God of Comfort and Convenience”
This is terrific insight into the expectations of the Lord. Thank you for this thoughtful post.