Honoring Christ in Comfort

"All who desire to live a Godly life will be persecuted."

These words mark many sermons, trying to stir American Christians to action, to "radical" obedience. Yet, I fear we take these words and make them our measuring rod. Instead of desiring to live Godly, we "desire" to suffer.

I have a Voice of the Martyrs poster hanging in my room and as I was reading and praying, I looked at it. "We worship in church. Thousands of our persecuted brothers and sisters worship in prison." Ouch. What am I doing, laying here in my comfortable bed, with my stomach full of food? 

If every moment of our lives isn't riddled with discomfort and sorrow, are we disobeying God?

The Law of God is "good, pleasing, and perfect," and it calls us to live lives of respect, to "outdo one another in showing honor," and to "consider others more important than ourselves." First of all, wow. Second, if we are truly to do all of that, it's nice for the people that come into contact with us. And that leads to favor with them, believer or not.

Most Christians agree that Jesus was obedient always, and yet, for a time, He had "favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). The same is said of the apostles in the book of Acts. Favor therefore cannot be sinful on its own.

Nothing can set itself up as my idol. My un-denied self creates it, sets something in the seat only God is worthy of taking. And that is sinful. It is only by seeking comfort that comfort becomes sin; seeking suffering should be rejected on the same grounds. Why?

Because seeking anything but Christ is idolatry.

And so it is that I do not believe people in hostile countries, fraught by constant life or death decisions, are, by that fact alone, more holy or acceptable than any true believer with relative religious freedom.

At one time, Jesus lived a life that earned Him favor with man. That same way of life later caused them to crucify Him. 

He "humbled Himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross," BUT He also "fell on his face and prayed, saying, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will but Yours be done."

Jesus didn't seek suffering. He sought God. And that led to suffering. If it had pleased God, He would have let the cup pass from Him.

And that... that is the idea I wish to convey. For many of us, the cross we "pick up" is not, at every moment, arduous, so we feel we have to create our own suffering by being rude, unsympathetic, obstinate then claiming people's (reasonable) offense as persecution. No. Please, no.

The important thing is picking up our cross, deferring to His plans for us. In all things, it's the looking to Christ and following Him that pleases God. The covenant is Christ. The glory is God's.

It is His decision whether suffering or favor best exemplifies His glory in each moment. And praise Christ, He strengthens us in both, for He is the "secret to being content in all circumstances" (Philippians 4:12). So, rather than questioning where He has you right now, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith."

"Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them."