I've just finished my first cup of the day. It was just like I like it. Hot, strong, black and in my 1 1/2 cup. I brewed the fresh ground beans and put them through my machine. The odor always gets my senses going. When it was done brewing I transported it to my recliner where I read my devotions (another comfort item) and did my daily journaling (another comfort item) while I sipped and enjoyed my first cup of the day. Comfort comes in many ways. I joked last night that I should open a cooking school for Midwest cooking in my home. Meat and potatoes with butter. Does it get any better than that? Maybe if the meat is bacon! Comfort comes in all manner to each of us. Some like to comfort shop, comfort read, comfort paint or build. It all depends on how we start our day. Sure the coffee is good. Caffeine doesn't wake me up. It doesn't make me go to sleep either so I can enjoy my comfort all day long if I wish. Reading the Bible is always a comfort. Whether it's disturbing or promising, the Bible is always comforting for those who know the Lord. Maybe we know what the ending is going to be. Kind of like when I brew coffee and know what the first taste is going to be when the coffee his my mouth. Maybe the Bible isn't comforting for those who are perishing. It leaves a bad taste in their mouths.
Meat and potatoes! Life's staple food especially when you add butter! What would we do if we didn't have the basics? With a plethora of spices and cooking techniques available we can just about create any special cuisine. The trouble is we forget what meat and potatoes taste like. We do the same with our relationship with God. We add this and take away that to make the Word more palatable and lose the taste of what is real. When we taste the Bible for the first time we taste the meat and potatoes of the Gospel. Time, church messages and complacency take away the real message of the Bible. If that didn't occur we wouldn't be so lazy as Christians and would do what we know we should be doing. I'm not saying we shouldn't spice up our meat and potatoes anymore than we shouldn't spice up our spiritual lives. Quite the contrary, Paul urged us to become Jesus to the world. Taken at full strength that would be a comfort meal for anyone who is searching to live the Christian life.
The people around us either are for us or they are against us. We listen to those around us in wise and foolish manner. Their message is either something that builds us up and draws us closer to Jesus or pulls us into the world's view and their comfort. Some people feel guilty of their false comfort and take an active role in drawing others into their area of comfort even when it's clearly not what Jesus would like us to do. When people do this it helps them feel better because those around them tend to be a bit worse off then they. The false comfort of the world is a constant draw. It has it's season for all of us but shouldn't. There should be no comfort from any spiritual world except Jesus. None. It's like drinking barley coffee. Yes, there is such a thing and it's awful. Tofu can be comfort for some but it's not the same as a good steak or roasted chicken. We tend to fill our lives with little false comforts and then think we are disqualified to spread Jesus to our world. That's not what Jesus wants, died for, and rose from the dead. If you are a Christian he has risen you up to be the comfort to the world in spirit and truth. It's always your choice.
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