The Danger of Comfort

Have you seen it? Have you seen the change? If you are young you probably haven't noticed anything at all. Everything seems like it has always been. But it's not.

We, as a nation, have grown comfortable. And that is a very bad thing. Comfort is where Satan lives. He thrives on political correctness and fear. We have comfort foods. Why? Comfort foods usually make us fat and desiring comfort all the more.

Being as old as I am, I have seen quite a few things in my lengthy lifetime. I have watched on TV as an American president was assassinated. Then a civil rights leader - a man of peace. I have seen a nation at war and our soldiers spat upon when they returned home from it. And now I am seeing our police officers being murdered in the streets, all because they chose to protect us. Yes, I have seen plenty of lows in this nation, but nothing can compare to the change I have seen in our society.

The line between what is acceptable and what is not has moved. And not in the right direction. We are removing God from everything once held dear and we are replacing Him . . . with ourselves.

Everything these days is all about convenience and comfort. Wouldn't want to offend anyone. Anyone except the silent majority. They don't fight back. We can offend people on the Internet without the inconvenience of facing someone face-to-face. It's so much easier to "pull the plug" on a relationship by un-friending them instead of investing time to repair a damaged relationship.

Our own comfort has taken over where God once reigned and that, I think, is the problem.

The Acts 2 church is a perfect example of what a Christ-centered society could be like.

^"44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." - Acts 2:44-47

Let's break that down.

• All the believers were together
• They had everything in common
• They sold possessions to help others in need
• They met together daily
• They ate together in their homes
• They had glad and sincere hearts
• They praised God
• They enjoyed the favor of all people

Let's look at that. Does our society have all those characteristics today? No. Why not? Well, there are several reasons, but the biggest reasons are 1.) we have taken God out of our schools and the courthouses. 2.) Everything has become "acceptable" out of fear of offending someone. Want to marry a goat? Go ahead. We all just want each other to be happy in whatever they are doing. 3.) We are being given everything to the point of our becoming dependent.

Some might say, look at verse 45. The early church gave to everyone. True, but the key difference are these - they gave to everyone as there was a need. The other factor is they gave willingly. These days our government takes our money and gives to those THEY think have a need . . or a want . . or a desire.

If the church was doing its job there would be no need for a welfare system among believers. We would all take care of ourselves.

We will have a new president in a few months. He has promised to "make America great again". He can try. Maybe He can improve a few things, streamline regulations & tax codes, but the only way we as a nation can be made great again is by turning to God, repenting of our sins, and by making Jesus Lord of our lives . . . not some earthly leader.

Our only hope is Christ.

I will close with a portion of an 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation by our sitting president at that time. What happened to us in the time between then and now?

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union. - Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's full Thanksgiving Proclamation

U-Haul

I learned a couple of lessons this past weekend about how we tend to live life these days. About how what was once unacceptable has now become not only acceptable but common place. I was given some food for thought about our personal and our nation's work ethic. I learned ALL of this while standing in the back of a rented U-Haul truck!

My wife's parents have moved into an assisted living place near Milwaukee. She and her three sisters have been spending a lot of time cleaning their old house and getting it ready to sell. Along with the cleaning and emptying of the house there has also been a dispersing of various possessions. We were recipients of a chest freezer and a wardrobe (a tall piece of furniture). Our daughter and her husband got a nice dining room set and a dresser. The problem was, how do we gat all those items transported to their destinations, the closest being two hours away. Answer? Rent a U-Haul truck!!

As we were finishing up with the move, my wife began to sweep out the truck. It was dark outside and the truck was dimly lit so naturally I asked, "Did you get everything? They will charge us to sweep it out again if they see anything." My wife swept it out again just to make me happy while I put on a pair of gloves and brushed any microscopic dust particles off the bumper. There's NO WAY I was going to be charged extra for not cleaning our the truck! That's when I recalled this verse and began to examine myself more closely.

"23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24

I began thinking of all the things that I had done in recent days, or should I say NOT done, with less zeal than I probably should have. Was I doing them "as for the Lord"? Nope. Then on Sunday our pastor spoke on the same topic . . . and used the same verse . . . Was I getting the message yet? We humans can be exceptionally dense, especially THIS one.

There are times when I am at home or at work performing a particular task that I am not really excited about doing. I might stop part way through to "take a break" and then not return to work for an hour or so. Is that working heartily as for the Lord?" I do not preform every task as if I was performing it for Jesus.

I am supposed to be building a wooden model of an old buggy for my sister. She asked me to and I agreed. Yet it has been sitting on my closet floor for weeks. As for The Lord?

This country is filled with people like me. People who don't want to work performing a task they previously agreed to do. It's all about us and our comfort, not about serving others. Why? Self satisfaction. I am my own worst enemy.

As my wife and I driving to Milwaukee the other day were discussing the welfare state that we have created in this country. We were talking about how people have been smart enough to figure out how to receive income from our country without working for it. All a woman has to do it have a few kids, the more the better, and she can make more money than she can at holding down a full-time job. I wonder what God thinks about a system like that?

"10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." - 2 Thessalonians 3:10

We need to be taking our work more seriously. We need to be performing our tasks "as for the Lord." Anything less than that, we are only thinking about ourselves. This weekend? That buggy is going down! The fireplace I've been dinking around with for weeks? Git 'er done!!! May we ALL perform our duties, the chores we have been given, the homework, the yard work, even cleaning the litter boxes, as if we were doing them at the command of Jesus. Get the work done and get it behind us. And then grab your Bible and read Matthew 25:21.

"21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’" - Matthew 25:21

Working For A Living - Huey Lewis and The News