Places to find truth

You never really know where God is going to speak to you. I really like comics, and have made it a habit of mine to read the comics in the newspaper when I get the chance. I also, over the last couple years, have taken to reading the rest of the page on which they appear.

In today's "Dear Abby" column there was something that spoke to me...
A woman, who signed her letter "Ministers Daughter" was saying that she didn't like the "forced" time of greeting that she experiences at many churches. She stated that her purpose in attending church was to "meditate and worship with my family. I do not go to shake hands with strangers and give them a greeting dictated by the pastor." She says that all of her friends feel the same way also, and suggested that church leadership take a poll to find out if they should continue the practice.

Now, sometimes I agree with what Abby has to say and sometimes I don't, so I was very interested to read her reply. Here it is.

"Something is wrong with our fragmented society if, for one moment in a house of God, people cannot find it in their hearts to reach out and make sure that everyone feels included and welcome. And for those who fear it is unsanitary - bring small bottles of hand sanitizer."

That is right on! Something is wrong with our hearts. It comes from the place where each of us, myself included, is more concerned about our own comfort than about the need of of other people to meet Jesus. They can't shake Jesus physical hand, but they can shake YOURS! They can't see the smile on the face of Jesus because they are searching for Him, but they can see YOURS!

This applies to more than just greeting each other during a service. Pastor Bill recently asked us to consider changing when we attend Sunday services. Specifically, moving from the 11 a.m. to the 9 a.m. to help make room for new people. This might sound harsh, but I think that God is calling forward in this area, if you can come to the nine a.m. but you are more comfortable in the 11, and you claim to be follower of Jesus, YOU are more concerned with YOUr comfort than YOU are with the need of others to hear about and meet Jesus.

Any time that I put my comfort above the ability of others to get in touch with the Savior I am standing in opposition to Jesus Christ. Catch that. Standing in opposition to Jesus Christ because we want to be comfortable is not a good thing! It's time to lay down what we want and really pursue the things that God wants. Jesus wants to see the entire valley changed for Him and he wants us to be a part of it. Jesus wants to see lives changed, people rescued, hurts healed, families restored and so much more, and He wants us to be a part of it! But we have to get out of the way.

So, please consider joining me as I push myself to give up the things that make me comfortable in order to be a road sign that points to Jesus.