Character Over Comfort
Character Over Comfort
We often think now that I’m a Christian my life should go smoothly. Let me clarify for those who call themselves Jesus followers; God is not concerned with our comfort He is concerned with our character.
There are times when many of us have been through a rough patch or are going through one and you just feel completely wrung out. No energy. No passion. Just fatigue. As for me; I can unequivocally relate at different times in my life to this description. It is at these times that we prove who we are; our character is tried and tested.
Nehemiah made the declaration “The joy from the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10b CEV.
But there was more to that statement than just that small clip. In full context this is what he said:
Nehemiah the governor, along with Ezra the priest and scholar and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, “This day is holy to God, your God. Don’t weep and carry on.” They said this because all the people were weeping as they heard the words of The Moses Revelation. He continued, “Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything: This day is holy to God. Don’t feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!”
Nehemiah 8:9-10 MSG
The words that they were reading were the books of God’s Revelation to Moses. This was the history of the world, mankind, the Jewish people, the laws, and sacrifices the way they must live to obey and honor God. Let’s consider our lives today and how difficult it is to obey our own laws about our life; exercise, eat the right foods, the right amount of those foods, don’t spend more than you earn, have healthy boundaries, have a quiet time each day, read the Bible and so on and so on. Then there are the only two commands from God we have today; love God with all your heart, mind and soul: love your neighbor as yourself. The beginning of each year we make the commitments anew and within three to six weeks many are falling short, miserably short of newly set hopes and goals.
Consider then how this group of Israelites felt knowing they didn’t have the capacity to achieve what was just read to them. As a result of Ezra’s teaching for approximately 13 years, then Nehemiah bringing them together they were a tenderhearted people. They wanted to please God but were mournful of the fact of their own sin. On the best day, they wouldn’t make it; they all fell short; even those in charge fell short. But Nehemiah knew the truth. He knew that God was interested in their character and if they would not allow themselves to overly mourn their shortcomings but to honor God and look outside themselves; then the joy from the Lord would be their strength. He didn’t say Gods’ wrath or fury, but His joy. All they needed would be the willingness and perseverance to go through the character building times of their lives: And to do this with internal peace and joy.
There was another component to this passage, which carries through the New Testament all the way to today. “Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything.” Don’t just take care of yourself but find someone who has a greater need and shares what you have, great or little share with those who have not.
God knew they would go through hard times, He knows we would go through hard times. Jesus says in John “in Him” we may have peace. He also says, “be of good cheer,” He has overcome the world. There it is again, good cheer in the midst of hard times.
Joy, as declared by the Lord, is our strength. It comes from HIS joy when we choose to look to, lean in, lean upon HIM. When we choose to abide in HIM, He abides in us. His Holy Spirit becomes active in our spirit and we then can see things from His perspective and have His power to not only make it through man joy other man challenging times but in fact, we find that there is always someone with greater challenges which we can then be God’s hands and feet to them. We can be that joy in someone else’s trouble.
“These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but, be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 ASV
“Train me, God, to walk straight; then I’ll follow your true path. Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear (respect and admiration). From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, dear Lord; I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to. You’ve always been great toward me—what love! You snatched me from the brink of disaster! As you, God gently and powerfully put me back on my feet.”
Psalm 86:11-17 MSG
There is good news for all of us: we don’t have to go it alone. We not only have the Holy Spirit that dwells within us but we have an advocate who continually intercedes for us before God.
Then, joy is unmistakable; it permeates all of your being when you discover it is not all about you.
Developed character is not a natural gift. It takes intentional perseverance to obtain and maintain. Are you willing to lean into God, choose Joy and see the need in others so that your character can be developed?
Will you choose to look past your need and help someone less fortunate than you?
