Bjcorbin's Blog

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 (Matt.21:21) and speak peace to every storm (i.e. trial) that comes our way (Mark 4:39).  Like Peter, we hope to pitch a tent on the mount of transfiguration (Matt.17:4), 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 (Matt.10:24)” and that they would be “hated” as a result of following Him (John 15:18-19).  He let them know that friendship with the world, would make them enemies of God (James 4:4); and even in His transfigured state, He let them know that there was work to do back down in the valley (Matt.17, Mark 9). 

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 (1 Pet.4:12).  It calls us over-comers (1 John 5:4), which implies that we will have to overcome some things; it calls us more than conquerors (Rom.8:37), which implies that there will be battles; and it tells us that we will share in the sufferings of Christ (Rom.8:17).  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.  There is no growth in the comfort zone.

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 (2 Cor.1:7), 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 (Acts 16). 

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 (John 15:4) 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 (Jer.17:9), 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.  He means for us to derive our comfort and security from the knowledge that:

• He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb.13:5)
• He can do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask for or imagine (Eph.3:20)
• He is faithful to complete the good work He’s begun in us (Phil.1:6)
• He offers a peace that surpasses our understanding and can guard our hearts (Phil.4:7)
• He works all things to the good of those who love Him and are called to His purpose (Rom.8;28)
• He is faithful to reward those who diligently seek Him (Heb.11:6)
• He has prepared a place for us (John 14:2-3)

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