Get Out of Your Comfortable Rocking Chair and Go
Recently I stepped out of my
comfort zone to begin a podcast. It’s basically an audio version of my one-year
daily devotional book. This wasn’t something I had aspired to do. It was simply
the direction the Lord seemed to be leading as another way to get His message
out to more people. Maybe there are those who won’t take the time to read a
book but who might listen to a little four-minute devotional each day as they take
a walk, drive to work, or go about their other activities. I’ll admit that I
knew very little about podcasts, especially about how to produce one.
Thankfully there is plenty of assistance available on the internet to guide
people like me. If you’re interested in this free devotional, check out
“Everyday Encounters with the Lord” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other apps
that support podcasts.
How long has it been since you’ve
gotten out of your comfort zone in order to follow the Lord’s leading,
especially in some effort to reach out to others? It’s so easy to get stuck in
our familiar routines. It’s hard to get out of the ruts, or even to stir up our
desire to want to get out of those well-worn paths to which we’ve become so
accustomed. When we’ve grown comfortable where we are, it’s difficult to get
ourselves moving again. However I believe if we’re attentive, we would often
hear the voice of the Lord encouraging us to step out in order to share His
Word and show His love to others.
Peter was definitely challenged to
exit his comfort zone when the Lord led him to share the gospel with some
Gentiles (see Acts 10). In order to help him overcome his prejudices, the Lord
had to give him an extra jolt with the combination of a disturbing vision, some
special visitors, and a divine command to accompany them. Yet Peter’s obedience
opened a great door which led to many coming into the kingdom of God.
Too many of us are like Barney Fife
in the old Andy Griffith Show. He sat
all relaxed on the front porch in a rocking chair talking about his plans to go
down to the drugstore, get a bottle of pop, and go over to Thelma Lou’s (his
girlfriend) to watch a little TV. Yet he kept sitting there. Every few seconds
he would repeat his intentions to do those activities, but then continue to sit
there rocking away. You got the impression that he would’ve never moved if
someone hadn’t finally confronted him and encouraged him to go do what he said
he was going to do.
What does the Lord have to do in
order to shake us out of our ruts and get us going? We tend to talk a good game
or verbalize well-meaning intentions. We sit in our homes and talk about our
plans to reach out to our neighbors. We sit in church and talk about the
importance of sharing the gospel and doing deeds of kindness in the name of
Jesus. We talk about dreams of starting some kind of new ministry. Nevertheless
all too often we just keep sitting there in our comfortable rocking chairs instead
of getting up and taking action.
Maybe the Lord has impressed on
your heart some individual to reach out to with a card, a phone call, a visit,
or some act of kindness. Or maybe he’s leading you to start a Bible study, a
food ministry, or even a podcast. If the Lord is telling us to go, let’s make
ourselves get up out of our comfort zones and get moving.
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