Willing to Abandon Comfort

Living a life following Jesus can be such a beautiful journey, but there is no promise of it being easy. On the contrary, it can be quite challenging. Before we get started, let’s begin with inviting God into this time with us today.

Holy Spirit, I ask that You come and pour into me today. Help me to grasp what it means to follow You and to live a life in Your presence. Thank You for this time to learn more about You and grow in my faith. Amen.

Matthew 8:18-20 (NLT)
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around Him, He instructed His disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then one of the teachers of the religious law said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay His head.”

I used to think that Jesus’ response here was so bizarre because it didn’t seem to have anything to do with what this religious leader was saying. Now I realize that in this scripture, Jesus is alluding to the fact that the religious leader had no idea what it meant to actually follow Him. This man lived a life of comfort and ease and Jesus knew that he was not ready to give that up. He couldn’t handle being uncomfortable. Are you ready to face the uncomfortable life of following Jesus?

Following Jesus isn’t an easy path to travel, as much as we want to believe that it will be. It can be tough. When we truly desire to follow Jesus, we surrender our lives to Him. That might look like doing something you never thought you would be able to do. It might be making sacrifices and decisions that don’t make sense to the world, but knowing that God will use them for your good and His glory. It could be learning to take steps of faith each and every day to grow into the person God wants you to be. Jesus tells us that, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b). It might not look like what we believe it should, and it might get really uncomfortable, but we can trust that He will see us through, and we can find comfort in knowing that there is a redemptive plan in motion for us and for the next generation to come. Your discomfort could lead to someone else’s salvation! Do you believe that in your struggles, you can bring God glory?
 
Take time to voice your struggles to Him today. You can use the prayer prompts below to get started:

Jesus, I trust You through every season, even when…

Lord, I know the path can be scary, but…

Take heart, friends! Jesus is in control! Go forth knowing that His plans for you are so much better than we could ever imagine!