Comfort and pleasure...

America is the land of wealth, plentitude and prosperity. We have been blessed by our forefathers who have sacrificed and lived out godly lives before us for they had paved the way.

Today we have our big homes, multiple automobiles, cushy furniture, entertainment galore at our fingertips----what does this make a Christian?

We are too comfortable. Sinfully comfortable.

In the legendary classic The Foxes Book of Martyrs, Christians gave their lives on behalf of the cross. They were thrown alive into boiling oil--they were bound in bags of scorpions and poisonous snakes and thrown into the sea. There were people who's stomach were cut open and corn was thrown onto their intestines and while they were still alive pigs would eat the corn right out of their bodies.

And we have trouble just calling a Christian friend and encouraging them.

We have trouble even remembering to pray for someone let alone reaching our lost neighbor for Christ. (How many times have people come to you and said 'thanks for praying for me' when you know full well that it totally escaped you?)

We are too engrossed in our 'toys' (computers, playstation's, tv, etc.) passions and pastimes to make any kind of dent on Satan's kingdom. In fact, I'm sure Satan is quite ecstatic that we are so distracted.

We don't like to do things that make us feel 'uncomfortable'. If it is too much effort, it is not worth the work. We complain about our churches because they are not meeting our needs. We gossip about and judge our Christian brethren because we have too much idle time. We spend our days in glorious abundance and indulgent complacency. We are consumed with being like and impressing the Jones'. Our happiness lies in our luxurious conveniences and they rule our lives. Our fulfillment is not seeing lost souls gain salvation but instead, we are motivated in increasing our surrounding creature comforts.

It is just too much trouble to move out of our comfort zones and truth be known, we actually like it here. Here we can enjoy our lukewarm Christianity. You know, the type of faith that Jesus spits out of His mouth:

"So because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." Revelation 3:16

Besides, we have our splendid toys to tend to. Why should we bother with anything else?

~From A Wise Woman Builds Her Home