I’ve heard many people refer to money as the god of our culture and to be sure, it has earned a place of prominence on our society’s expansive list of idols. But some years ago, the Lord began to show me that there was something that we collectively love even more deeply than money; and that is comfort. Indeed, our love of money is often rooted in the idea that it will ultimately make us comfortable. While there are many among us who would quickly reach into their pockets to help someone in need, there are few who’d be willing to give to the point that it might significantly impact their own level of comfort.
As Christians, we know better than to profess a love of money, but is seems doubtful that many of us would deny our affinity for comfort. We don’t generally recognize that as a problem and in fact, we like to use scripture as evidence that this is ultimately all part of God’s plan for us. We hope to grow our faith to the point that we can cast every mountain (i.e. obstacle) into the sea and speak peace to every storm (i.e. trial) that comes our way. Like Peter, we hope to pitch a tent on the mount of transfiguration, with an unfettered view of our luminous Savior. But a full read of scripture reveals some troubling cracks in that plan. Jesus told His disciples that “no servant is greater than their master” and that they would be “hated” as a result of following Him. He let them know that friendship with the world, would make them enemies of God; and even in His transfigured state, He told them that there was work to do back down in the valley. Indeed the scripture tells us that what is pleasing to the flesh is not pleasing to the spirit (Gal 5:17) and that we should not be surprised by painful trials. It calls us over-comers, which implies that we will have to overcome some things; it calls us more than conquerors, which implies that there will be battles; and it tells us that we will share in the sufferings of Christ. If Jesus, the sinless Son of God, a man of perfect faith, “learned obedience from the things He suffered” (Heb 5:8), why should we expect that it will somehow be different for us.
All of that is not to imply that God is in any way apathetic toward our pain or suffering; in fact, Paul describes Him as, “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2Co 1:3-4); while Jesus repeatedly identifies the Holy Spirit as “the Comforter”. Throughout the scripture there are many wonderful promises related to comfort, but in every case a clear picture emerges; while God does not despise our comfort, He does want to be the source of it. And therein lies the problem for many of us; as we are prone to seek our comfort in temporal things, like other people, food, our paycheck, our stuff, our surroundings, our reputation, our routine… In those times, we stir God’s jealousy, as we give that place that He’s reserved for Himself to some perishing thing. In such cases, He is faithful to show us that we’ve invested ourselves in a counterfeit, as our comfort (and generally our peace) blow away with the first stiff wind.
As Believers, we often want to experience God and His promises (e.g. peace, joy, comfort, power…) without resistance, but I would submit that God is not truly glorified until we access these things in the midst of our struggle. I believe that, in the eyes of the Lord, the value of Peter and John’s reverential awe on the mount of transfiguration paled in comparison to that of Stephen’s prayer for forgiveness as he was being stoned to death (Acts 7:59-60); just as Paul’s response to his heavenly encounters did when compared with the midnight praise that he & Silas raised up in their prison cell. Because they had genuinely experienced God’s comfort in the midst of their trial, they did not feel the need to immediately run out of the situation when the walls came down, which allowed God to use them to minister in a powerful way (Acts 16:25-28). I believe that the same would be true of us, if we’d simply abide in Him in our most difficult moments and not flee in search of more comfortable accommodations.
Though it is often difficult to accurately assess the truth of our own hearts, there is much we can learn by looking at our responses in times of trouble. If we often feel hopeless, we’ve likely invested our hope in something other than the Lord. If we frequently find ourselves feeling powerless, we’ve probably drawn our strength from something other than God’s Spirit. And if our grief has ever reached the point that we were “inconsolable”, we’ve no doubt rejected the ministry of “the Comforter”. Ultimately, God will not force us to come to Him for these things (i.e. hope, strength, comfort…), but because of the way He created us, we can never truly be fulfilled by any other source.
Bjcorbin's Blog 
Brian,
Your blog entry for Jul 25 is at the heart of understanding the sanctification process. God lovingly helps to pry our hearts away from the things that satisfy the flesh so that we will be drawn to the things that give life to our spirit.
Only our full dependence on Him will give us the means to live in a way that reflects His image and likeness for which we were created. How else could we obey the Matt 5:48 call to be perfect as He is perfect? We have no fleshly resource that can accomplish that. Even trying to do it out of our ability is rejection of the Tree of Life – a repeat performance of the Garden of Eden decision.
I have treasured the confirming description of the Hebrews 2 passage below that assures us that by participating in Christ’s suffering (Phl 3:10), we are identified as members of His family – reflecting His family traits, e.g. Fruit of the Spirit.
Heb 2: 10, 11 (NIV)
[10] Note In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. [11] Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
When we have godly sorrow over our sin, we can receive forgiveness and cleansing. We can say, “No” to condemnation. We can say, “No” to this world that wants us to ignore our sin. We can confess, forgive, and be cleansed. We can mourn and receive God’s comfort.
I was thinking about a little bird learning to fly… the baby bird is comfortable in it’s place of safety and is afraid to take the steps necessary to get out on the edge and flap his/her little wings and take off in flight, so the mother bird will unsettle the nest and remove some of the nesting material to make it so uncomfortable for the baby to go back in the nest and the bird will then make the decision to leave the nest and fly. I was thinking about so many people today who have put their trust in the comfort of their “Nest” of savings and have put their trust in that “nestegg” so to speak. God wants us to fly, but He also wants our nest to be in HIM as our security and not money or things, and He wants us to grow up and FLY… not remain as baby birds forever.