Thursday, August 14, 2014

Comfortable?

I was recently watching one of those reality shows about finding and purchasing a home. A younger couple was sitting down with their real estate agent making a list of what they desired in a home. They were sharing the contents of their wish list when the lady said something that kind of agitated me. After she listed several wants she said, "The main thing is that we must have a big yard for Joey (name changed to protect the innocent.) to play in." Joey was their dog. The main thing? (Note: I recently read somewhere that Christians in America spend more on dog food than they do on missions giving.)

I have been to nations in which many people live a standard of life much lower than our pets here in America. I've seen people living in cardboard boxes in India and Guatemala, some literally on the streets. The picture above is from Honduras. (I actually visited the family that lives in this home. A total of 11 people live in this home.) Somehow I believe the priority for this family is not the family pet...but having enough food to eat. You cannot visit precious people like this and not be awakened to God's heart for the much less fortunate.

Most of us are living comfortable lives here in America. So comfortable that we cannot relate to the reality of the rest of the world. We grieve more over the loss of entertainers than we do those being murdered for serving Jesus in foreign lands. We need to be made uncomfortable by the One who died not just for Americans, but for the whole world. You see, being made uncomfortable produces a concern for others who are much less fortunate than we are. Spirit of God, please make us uncomfortable to the point of waking us up!

At the time of this post Christians are being heavily persecuted in Iraq. They are being sought out, run down, and killed. These are not only real people with families, they are brothers and sisters in Christ. The lack of concern troubles me. Where are our priorities? Where is the concern? Where are our hearts? Are we serving the American dream or the Lord of the universe?

The good news is that Jesus is the answer. Oh that we would turn back to Jesus for our every need. To need Him desperately is to trust in Him. It can only start as we plead for those overseas that are being persecuted. When all is said and done, it won't be about our comfortable American culture. It won't be about having all of our wants and desires fulfilled. It will be about Jesus....and those He died for. It will be about the widow, the orphan, the prisoner, the rejected, and the persecuted. That's where I want my heart to be.

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