I admit it. I whine. To God.
Me: I just want to be comfortable. Dear Jesus, is that too much to ask?
Jesus: If I expected you to be comfortable, you wouldn’t need the Comforter.
John 14:26 (ASV)
But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things.
I would rather be comfortable. But our Scriptural role models didn’t lead comfortable lives.
Jesus was nailed to a cross.
Why would I expect to be comfortable?
How do you feel about your church?
In a different congregation, a different time, people were sharing how they felt about their church. Around the table, one by one, the answer was “I’m comfortable here.”
I wasn’t comfortable there. We were newcomers among a group of people who had known each other for decades. I felt accepted as another believer. As a friend, not so much. But that wasn’t my reason.
“God didn’t call me to be comfortable,” I said. “He calls me to change.”
Are you ready to be uncomfortable for God?
I may not be the most cheerful taxpayer, but I can send my money to the government with a blessing.
Lord God, may this money accomplish good things.
Use it to bless others. Amen.
Leviticus 19:9-10 (NIV)
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.
I like the Old Testament approach to welfare. Planned generosity. No tax-collecting middle man. A relationship between the haves and the have-nots.
Likely the gleaner said, “Thank you.” And the land owner said, “You’re welcome.”
My fair share? What is that?
I whine, It’s not fair!
I think how I get up and go to work. Plus an hour to get there, and an hour back. Five days a week.
Me: I earned it. It’s mine. I want it all.
Jesus: I paid more than my fair share.
Taxes?
April 15 is almost upon us. Some hate the process, some hate the payment, many hate it all.
You remember what Jesus said about taxes:
Mark 12:17 (KJV)
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to God the things that are God’s.
The Romans levied both property taxes and head taxes. The more people in your household, the more money paid to the government.
Jesus paid my heavenly head tax.
Proverbs 30:15 (NIV)
The leech has two daughters.
“Give! Give!” they cry.
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, “Enough!”
It is much better to be one who says that less “would have been enough” than to be one who never says “enough.”
I’ve been thinking about dayenu–“it would have been enough”–and how it applies to me. Here are a couple personal enoughs:
If I had a safe, warm home, it would have been enough. But You provided a unique house that is charming and lives well. Oh Lord, I’m so grateful.
If I had a job that pays the bills, it would have been enough. But You provided a job I enjoy and coworkers who are also friends. Thank you, Lord God.
How about you? What’s your personal dayenu?
