Devotional:

“35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” — Mark 1:35-39

After Jesus met with crowds of people at Peter’s house and performed miracles all night, He left to get His alone time with His Father, finally. He may have slept a couple of hours, but even with the lack of sleep and exhaustion He must have felt, Jesus got up before the sun and went somewhere to be alone to pray. His priority wasn’t His physical rest at that point. His priority was finding time to be alone with God because He knew that God alone would provide the strength, He needed to endure what was to come.

Once the sun rose and the town woke, people began looking for Jesus. They were expecting more miracles and healings. But Jesus knew He had already fulfilled what He came to Capernaum to do. He had proclaimed the good news, and they heard it. That was the primary purpose of the ministry of Jesus. The healing and miracles were secondary. Although the people weren’t ready to see Jesus go, He needed to move on to proclaim the gospel to as many people and in as many places as He could. Jesus knew the clock was ticking, His hour was coming and He had to keep going.

Simon Peter and a few others finally found Jesus while praying alone. But I don’t think they expected this response from Him. They were ready to bring Him back to the people in Capernaum to continue teaching and healing. But Jesus said I have to move on. He told them in verse 38, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” When Jesus says, “for that is why I came out,” He explains that there is a greater purpose to fulfill beyond the comfort of My people and My hometown. God has a plan, and even though it won’t be easy, I will obey Him.

Reading this reminded me of how easily I can become complacent and comfortable as a Christian. It feels good to go to worship and sit under solid and gospel-centered teaching, but sometimes I forget that it’s not about me. Yes, the gospel of Jesus is the point, but me continuing to sit in the same place, with the same people, doing the same comfortable things week after week without a mission to fulfill outside of the church walls, is complacency. Now I’m not saying you don’t need to go to church anymore, sit under solid preaching or be in a church community.

Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Being in a community of believers is important; we weren’t created to do it alone. We are never finished learning, and God will always want us to join together to worship Him and be in His presence to learn, listen and seek His will. But sometimes, we forget the most crucial part.

The people in Capernaum wanted Jesus there to heal and help and continue to preach to them because His presence was comforting; they didn’t want Him to leave. But just as Jesus had to move on to continue His ministry and fulfill God’s purpose, we have to get out of our comfortable bubbles. As disciples of Christ, we cannot remain within the safety of the church’s walls or the comfort of our believing family and friends. That isn’t the ministry and mission of Christ. It is quite the opposite.

“19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28: 19-20

The point is this. We are called to do hard things as Christians. And that is what it takes to reach the lost. It is especially hard in the world we live in today. There is so much around us that competes for our time, treasure and our hearts. Sometimes it takes leaving the entire herd to go after that one lost soul. And it’s scary and not uncomfortable.

Sometimes the very thought of leaving my comfort zone and my people to be the hands and feet of Jesus makes my heart race and my palms sweat. I like my comfort just as much as the next person. But have you noticed that not once in Jesus’s ministry did He allow himself to get comfortable? He kept pushing forward. Through exhaustion and leaving loved ones behind, He had to do all those hard things. But because Jesus always knew there would always be one more to reach, He never let the secondary parts of His ministry become the primary. His heart and compassion for lost souls far outweighed His empathy and compassion for physical needs. He knew those things, although important to them, were temporary compared to the eternal life He had to offer.

How often have you hit the snooze button after a late night because your time with God was less important than a few more minutes of sleep?

What is the last thing you did that took you out of your comfortable and complacent life as a Christian? If you can’t think of one; what keeps you in that comfortable place?

What will it take to get you out of complacency, so you can follow God’s call in your life?

God, we pray for direction, courage and strength to get up and move toward the next thing You have for us. Do not let us wait another minute, putting it off because of fear or lack of confidence. Lord, let us be Your hands and feet wherever You lead. Amen