Going Towards Need, Not Comfort

Go with Jesus towards need not comfort - is a phrase that I heard from a friend years ago and God seemed to fix it in my brain. It is a phrase that seems to haunt me on a regular basis. It is a phrase that has had incredible application in my life. But ultimately, it is a phrase that reminds me of the Savior. 

Jesus came not to be served but to serve (and to give his life a ransom for many - Mark 10:45). His life was characterized by going towards need, not comfort. He was continually doing hard things for the sake of others. He lavished kindness upon those who would ultimately put him on the cross. He is the consummate example of true humility, counting others as more significant than himself (Philippians 2:3-4). Regardless of the personal cost, Jesus pursued the good of others more than pursuing His own comfort. If Jesus had went towards comfort, he would have never become man. If Jesus had went towards comfort, he would have never been beaten and crucified by the very humanity he created. If Jesus had went towards comfort, we would have never know His grace. The fact of the matter is this, since Jesus went towards need not comfort, we know the radical grace of God in the gospel. 

As followers of Jesus, the call is to walk in a manner worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1). To put it another way, let your life be worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27). I think it would be fair to say that going with Jesus towards need not comfort is an essential element to walking worthy of the gospel.  

Practically though, we struggle with this. We have a host of excuses as to why we don’t go with Jesus towards need. But truth be told, the gospel compels us to go with Jesus towards need not comfort. The gospel compels me to love someone different than me. The gospel compels me to bear someone else’s burden and so fulfill the law of Christ. The gospel compels me to move with compassion towards the marginalized and under-privileged. The gospel compels me to intentionally pursue my neighbors with acts of love and mercy. The gospel of Jesus Christ will always move us towards need, not comfort. This movement will at times be painful, but it will always be good. 

Let's be asking God to make EGBC a place where we are eager to move towards need, not comfort! 

To the glory of God alone - 

Pastor Justin