I recently shared with some students in our youth group two things that God never called us to have.  I surprised myself since this particular “message” wasn’t planned or scripted in any way, just me sharing some thoughts on where God was calling us as individuals and as a group.

I also think these two things are the gods we worship in America, whether we’re Christians or not.  Yes, I said Christians worship these false gods.  I have worshiped them on numerous occasions.  There two little god’s called “Safety” and “Comfort”.  Neither one bad in and of themselves, but taken to extremes and vaulted over God’s call to discipleship, sacrifice, and obedience they become dangerous foes that can derail even the “godliest” of Christ-followers.

For example, every time I pray before going on a trip with students, I pray that God would keep us safe.  Why?  What if God not keeping us safe forces us to rely more heavily on His power, provision, and protection?  Our parents never want us to experience danger because we might get hurt, but it’s through the hurt we experience that we grow to become more like Christ.  It’s a pretty tough balance.

Obviously I don’t WANT bad things to happen to me or the people I love, but my desire for safety should never trump my desire to see God have His way in those lives.

So my question becomes, “Are we seeking safety or are we seeking God’s will?”  Because the last time I checked, His  will is the safest and most dangerous place we can find ourselves.