Prodigals

Some of our Christian leaders are essentially telling us that our lives are meant to be one of ease and comfort and the real conflict that we are battling with is our unbelief that God desires us to have a happy and comfortable life. Before our thoughts travel too far down this road, we need to contemplate what the Scriptures tell us. How do we reconcile Scriptures such as, “outwardly we are wasting away” (II Corinthians 4:16), “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), “do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you” (I Peter 4:12), and numerous other Scriptures that tell us that we are going to have to endure, persevere, and wrestle?

I think that when we seek a life of comfort, not only do we leave ourselves wide open to frustration and disillusionment, but we are pursuing a different gospel. We will be no different than the younger son in Luke 15:11-32, who said to his father, “give me my share of the estate [and then] set off for a distant country.”

To live in a harmonious relationship with the Father, we have to value the Father over our inheritance, service, comfort, and pleasures otherwise we will be no different from the father’s two sons in Jesus’ parable.