Comfortable Christians

As Christians, we are sometimes too comfortable with our relationship with God. We hear the message that we are saved by grace. We hear the promise that we are made holy and righteous in His sight. We hear that heaven awaits all believers in Christ. We hear God say, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” This is all true for the “believer”. The problem lies in the fact that we some might define belief as going to church, being good, or just to know that God exists. You learned early on in life that gravity exists. You don’t only know that, but it necessarily effects how you act. For instance, you would not step off the edge of a sky scraper because you know the consequence... you would fall many stories and end up dead. You don’t have to consciously say, “I won’t step off this building because of gravity”. Your life automatically makes the right choice because that belief automatically determines your actions. You wouldn’t ignore gravity now thinking that you can believe in it later because you know you need to live according to it now. How much more our faith in Jesus Christ. If we really believe that Jesus is real and died for our sins and conqored death, that the Holy Spirit desires to give us wisdom and lead us, and that your eternity rests, not partially, but totally on God, why would it not become as automatic or more important even than gravity. But no. We become comfortable with our relationship and forget that God alone holds the power to condemn our body and soul in hell. I ran across a great quote, “Comfort is the graveyard of spiritual growth; the soul that seeks only ease will soon find itself devoid of power.” We get wrapped up in our schedules and the things we want to do and then question God because He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want or we face trials in life. What happened to the rich man who had an abundant crop? He built storage houses to keep it and planned on seeking the easy life. God pointed out that when his soul was demanded of him, what would become of his comforts? In seeking comforts, we may lose our eternal assurance. God’s promises are indeed ours through faith, but faith pushes us to live for Christ. Father, help us to understand that works that derive their obedience from faith are truly pleasing in Your sight. Give us that faith. Amen