Worshipping Comfort
It’s easy to follow Christ when everything is simple and comfortable for us.
The “worldly pursuit of ease” has become an idol before God. It’s not the idea of convenience that is the problem, but rather ourselves. Ryan Lister said, “The problem, then, lies not with convenience, but with what our hearts make of it. The dark appeal of temptation is to twist good things into idols. Convenience steps in front of God and steals his worship. The world’s empty promises silently hijack our affections. We let cheap knockoffs of fulfillment obscure the true beauty of our nail-torn Savior.”
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) If we are pursuing security in the appealing comfort and convenience of the world, His commands for us to daily take up our cross for Him will become ignored. So how do we flee from the idol of comfort? We have to begin knowing that we can’t do it on our own strength. God has already sent His only Son to carry the cross we deserve to bear, and to die on it in our place. We see in the bible that even Jesus was tempted by the appeal of convenience. When Jesus came, He was tempted by Satan over and over to choose His comfort over God’s will. Every time, He chose instead to rest in God’s faithfulness + promises to make a saving way for humanity. This is the example that we should strive after; to be more like Christ as “we fight the good fight” for His eternal + ultimate kingdom, mission, and glory.
This concept is much easier said than done. We live in a world where modern comfort is wrapped up in a fancy little bow and handed to us on a silver platter, and It’s so easy to worship when it looks so good, appealing, and right. We have to remember that we become like what we worship, so when comfort becomes greater than the exaltation of God, we need to immediately reconsider where our heart is.
“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:3-6)
“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!” (Psalm 135:15-18)
“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.” (Jonah 2:8)
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5)
We should not settle for anything other than Him. God has promised His children that choosing to worship Him over the fleeting passions + idols of this broken world will always lead to a greater, eternal reward that is awaiting us in Heaven. May we turn our eyes towards our eternal home and remember that our comforts and conveniences here are but a breath, but our King is eternal.
“But as for us, we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forever. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 15:18)
