Locked Up

For the new year, a lot of people, like myself, get even more "fired" up for God! We use years as time increments for the evaluation of our lives, emotionally, mentally, financially, physically, and most importantly spiritually, and the fact that we believe that this is a whole new chapter in our lives, we set and raise standards for ourselves, intending on those standards to push us to grow in our faith.

As I evaluated my past year, I came across a quote, in a comment, on John Piper's Twitter.

Piper tweeted, "Even though this will not be a comfortable message tonight, I would like you to hear it."

(He was referring to the message he preached at Passion)

And as I glanced at the Tweet, I became curious as to what he was talking about, so I clicked it and viewed the comments. I could not have helped to notice this particular comment from a random man.

"Our Comfort has become our Cage."

My God. I became obsessed and convicted at THE SAME TIME. 

The second I read this brief, lonely statement on Twitter, it stuck in my brain. I wanted it on a necklace. I wanted it on my car (even though I don't currently have one). I wanted a tattoo of it on my neck with prison bars. And as the days passed by I now realize why I was so intrigued by the phrase.

It was because I am that guy that is in that cage.

For SO long I have wanted to be radically on mission, not even as much overseas, but here at my own University, in America, living for Jesus. And in my efforts to justify my comfort, my heart became convicted by the fact that I was not giving Jesus my all, with all of my life, like He had given me.

So instead of putting this mere comment on a car, on jewelry, or on my body, from here on (not just 2013) for the rest of my life I want that to be part of my heart. Not because it is the cool, hip, Christian thing to do, but because Jesus was uncomfortable! 

To really understand how Jesus challenged Himself to be uncomfortable, let's take a look at what His life was like in the bible.

• First of all, Jesus was not born into a rich family, but into a family that had to work to eat. Jesus was born in a manger.
• Jesus explained to His followers that He has no where to rest, or "lay His head." Luke 9:58
• Jesus constantly stood up for sinners, even though the world wanted Him dead because of it. John 8:7
• Jesus chose to be obedient and give His life to God, for us, by carrying an uncomfortably heavy cross, after being brutally beaten, with and uncomfortable crown of thorns piercing His head.

In Luke 14:27, Jesus tells us that if we do not carry our cross and follow Him, that we cannot be His disciples!

And with carrying that cross, there will come discomfort. And we only experience this because our sinful nature wants to do one thing, and the spirit wants to do another. We are born into sin and later resurrected with Christ as what the bible says, "a New Creation." (2 Corinthians 5:17) However, we are still living in the flesh that wants something totally different than the Spirit. The flesh and sinful nature that it causes is natural to us. Now the battle between the two collide, and when we go against the grain, discomfort occurs.

In Luke 14:27, Jesus is telling us all that this is not okay. He is telling us that there will be some uncomfortable decisions that you have to make, and He challenges us to count the cost before we follow Him! But, He is also telling us that if we remain comfortable where we are, do the same things as we usually do, & never step our of our comfort zone for the sake of love, that we are, if fact incarcerated by of comfort. We are building a wall that we cannot climb, & which will ultimately prevent us from experiencing the love of God and paradise. Hence the spectacular comment-

"Our Comfort has become our Cage."

In fact it is a cage that we have locked ourselves in. A selfish cage that prevents us from loving others as much as we should. A lethal cage that prevents us from helping and serving the lost and broken as much as we should. Paul and Peter and John and a lot of others that were radical about their faith and proclaimed it to the best of their ability, never locked themselves in a cage. As a matter of fact, I'm sure they would (and have) become incarcerated by soldiers threatening to take their lives before the day that they would become a slave to their comfort.

So before we disregard God's will and obedience to Him, and exchange that for our comfort, remember that we are enslaving ourselves. We have become a nation and a world that looks for satisfaction in ourselves rather than the One who tells us that He is our comfort!! Check these verses out:

Psalm 9:9
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 18:2 
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm 32:7 

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. 

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

And there is so much more from where that came from! The point of the matter is that when we are free from our own comfort, we will be able to give God more. We will serve Him and others better, love more, become even more missional (no matter the race, gender, culture, etc. of a person), and bring MORE GLORY TO HIS NAME. 

He deserves EVERYTHING, nothing less.

...one last time.

"Our Comfort has become our Cage."