We live in a time in which we enjoy many comforts. Our beds are way more comfortable than they used to be. You can spend thousands of dollars and buy a bed for which you can adjust to how firm or soft the mattress is each night as you go to bed. You can buy a memory foam mattress that conforms to the contours of your body.
There are other comforts we enjoy, such as warm houses in the winter and cool houses in the summer. For many of us, we do whatever we can to be comfortable. We do whatever we can to make our life as easy as possible. We have our cellphones handy so we can answer any call, email or Facebook notification an in instant.
My favorite place to be is on my end of the couch with my feet up. I like to be comfortable like everyone else.
This idea of being comfortable has crept into the life of followers of Jesus, and because of that it has sneaked into the body of Christ as well, his church. The reality is we have never been called to be comfortable.
One of my favorite people in the Bible was the apostle Paul. Paul had a very transforming moment in his life. Jesus spoke to Paul and asked him to stop persecuting those who were following Jesus.
Before this moment his mission was to extinguish this new movement of Jesus’ followers. After this moment he became one of greatest missionaries there ever was. He spread the message of Jesus in so many places and started several churches. Once this change happened to Paul, he began to live a very adventurous life. His life was no longer about being comfortable, but about being content.
Here’s what Paul had to say in Philippians 4:11-12:
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Paul faced beatings, jail time, a shipwreck, a loss of freedom and other hardships all because he was following Jesus. Once Paul had this transforming moment there was no turning back. He was all in for Jesus.
Josh Robertson is pastor of New Hope Church of the Nazarene and The Stirring. This weekly column is written by local clergy members.
