We live such comfortable lives. In general, we get up every weekday morning from our comfortable beds in our heated and air conditioned homes. We drive our comfortable cars and go to our comfortable jobs. Afterward, we return to our homes, have a comfy dinner and activities with our families, watch a little tv, and go to bed.
Our comfortable work days slowly merge into comfortable weekends, when we do the weekend things that we are comfortable about doing. We go shopping. We go to a movie. We clean our homes to ensure they remain comfortable. We go to our comfortable little churches to hear comfortable little messages.
Maybe, as Christians, we need to broaden our "comfort zones" to include the ability to hear what God speaks to us and to obey. Maybe as Christians, we need to be a little more like Abram.
Abram was a descendent of Noah.
"Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran." -Genesis 11:31-32
"Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran." -Genesis 12:1-4
When I read these passages, I wonder how people in Haran might have thought Abram was out of his mind? Perhaps even people in his own household were rolling their eyes at their departure from Haran to some undisclosed place because of a promise from God.
I believe Abram, on the other hand, was excited about this communication from God! Who wouldn't want to live in a new land with God, be the father of a great nation, and bring about a spiritual blessing to "all the families of the earth?" I believe that trusting God was Abram's "comfort zone."
What the other people thought of Abram's actions was not important to him. What was important is that he obeyed God and packed up and moved, by faith.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. -Hebrews 11:8-10
What is God speaking to you about today?
Listen during your comfortable day for God's voice. Is he:
- pointing out people in your comfortable homes or workplace who need you to point them to Him?
- telling you to give your money, time, resources, until it hurts?
- showing you how you can start something big, but it won't be easy?
Ask yourself this - is "trusting God" your comfort zone?
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