The god of Comfortable
It is really hard to think about the sinless Christ suffering as He did for “me.” In a matter of hours He was scourged, beaten, mocked, forced to carry a cross the size of a tree after all that, and ultimately put to death by being nailed to that cross (Mark 15). The cruelty and pain are not obvious in such a quick listing of the abuse he suffered at the hands of men.
It was horrible but, when the chief priests delivered Him to Pilate, people still stood by and yelled, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” (Mark 15:3).
The truth is that He took all of that pain and torture and mocking so that you and I could be forgiven for our sin. God says that the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Christ death is a substitute for our death as the faithful live for eternity with God.
In compassion for us as lost sheep, He offers us faith in Him. With this faith our God offers us the hope of forgiveness, mercy, and peace with Him.
So, what is wrong with us that we are not willing to forfeit a little human comfort for a Christ that took such horrible pain for us?
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I had our first experience protesting abortion at a Planned Parenthood (PP). There were a couple of experienced “sidewalk counselors” there ready to speak personally with the women who were going in for abortions. I was given a sign to hold portraying the horror of the death of a baby in the womb (as were many others). Eventually I crossed the street to be in the sun (for my own comfort as it was chilly).
I found myself with a sort of wide angle view. I could see who was coming and going from both ends of the PP. If I thought that one of the women doing the counseling was not seeing a woman coming to abort I would be praying hard for the Lord to show her so someone would speak to her.
No one had said to me that I was to hold the sign and nothing more. No one had suggested that I should not approach anyone. I just saw roles and assumed I should stick with them. It was very comfortable “protesting.”
How often do we make decisions that are for our comfort and not the glory of God? We refuse to confront sin. We stay in weak churches because it is more comfortable than seeking one that will challenge us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength. We follow tyrannical laws without objection and claim Romans 13 commands us to do so, but we are not willing to study the passage to get the truth of the responsibility of the government. If we did we might have to stand against something that is more comfortable to just live with.
Our God is the God of comfort (Romans 15:5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). He is compassionate to His people (Matthew 6:34) and so, we should be too. This is not the God many of us serve. We prefer the god of comfort, as in our own comfort. This god is an idol that needs to be burned, buried, or otherwise eliminated from our lives.
Christianity is under serious attack in the U.S. If we do not rid ourselves of the idolatrous god of comfort, we will not know the protection and security of the Great God of all compassion.
This will take courage and practice. The more we step outside our comfort zones in small steps, the more courageous we will be to do the bigger steps when necessary. What could we do that might be uncomfortable for us that would glorify the God of Comfort as we celebrate what He has done for us in His death and resurrection?