Subscription Lists
Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Have you ever stopped to think that our entire lives are spent seeking comfort? It must be an important and innate instinct with which we are born and which stays with us until death. Today's continuance of devotional thoughts on comfort will begin a look at the Psalms and how they relate to comfort generally.
Although I may not know you personally, I would almost wager that as an infant you cried when you were hungry and also let it be known in a similar way when you were wet! Why? Because there was a need for comfort that was a part of your being even at that early age. A favorite thread-bare blanket and/or a well-used and dilapidated pacifier are also a part of your past if all the truth be known! Not that I ever needed anything like that, but I had children and nieces and nephews that did. I'll spare them the embarrassment of specifics just now, but be assured there were some.
Fast forward a few years and that same quest for comfort has shaped much, if not most, of your life. The cars you bought, the houses in which you have lived, the spouse you chose, the professions in which you worked all had to do with comfort. In fact, the comfort factor is a major part of the retail market that drives our economy. Carpet, clothing, heating and air services, furniture, and housing are all driven by the innate desire that we have for comfort. As infants, we cried when we were uncomfortable and our parents accused us of being spoiled. As adults, we have the ability to change our environments and we work like mad to do just that (not that we are spoiled as adults mind you) so we can be comfortable.
Fast forward a few more years and our retirement becomes a time in which we certainly desire, even deserve, the comforts a mature age should bring. That is what social security and retirement plans are all about. Retirement villages and condos dot the landscape and more are appearing every day. Again, comfort is a primary consideration that drives these common ventures. From birth until death, our quest is for comfort. However, all the above scenarios are about physical comfort. Most recently an elderly woman I knew had all the comforts that money could buy, and yet, when the time of her death drew nigh, she was not comfortable mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. That type of comfort does not come with a physical price tag; it cannot be purchased through a wholesale club or at a retail outlet. It is that comfort which is most illusive and yet seemingly consumes but a fraction of the time that is spent seeking physical comforts.
As believers, the God we serve is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1.3). There is actually a story in the Bible about a man who spent all of his fortunes on his own comfort and thought very little about others or about God (although this is a redundant statement, I make it for emphasis). It is generally known as the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus. After his death, Lazarus was comfortable for eternity and the rich man was in torments. Concerning the rich man's plight, it was observed, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.” (Luke 16.25). Comfort here upon the earth is not a prerequisite to eternal peace as is evidenced by the noted biblical story.
Briefly as we close, would you like to guess which of the Psalms is the first to mention comfort? If you guessed the twenty-third Psalm, you guessed right. The fourth verse reads, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Choose true comfort and choose God, the God of all comfort!
Questions:
1. At what age do we begin seeking comfort? When do we stop?
2. What “role reversal” occurred with the rich man and Lazarus after their death?
3. MULTIPLE CHOICE: Comfort here in this life means that we are: (A) More likely, (B) Less likely, or (C) Highly favored – to receive an eternal reward of comfort and peace.
4. What type of comfort is David speaking of when he talks about the LORD'S rod and staff comforting him?
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "Today's Little Lift" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.