Positive Discomfort
ByIf you are even remotely alive, you cannot read the Bible honestly without getting a bit uncomfortable. Here’s an example:
And [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasure and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’
It doesn’t matter what socio-economic class you find yourself in, these words are bound to make you uncomfortable (if you take them for real). For it shows you God’s perspective on our giving, and encourages a sort of riskiness that is very uncomfortable to personally consider (at least for me). And so it is with almost anything Jesus has to say about money…or anything else for that matter. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) serves as ample evidence to support such a statement.
But in the end, this discomfort is good for us, provided we embrace it and allow it to lead us towards riskier and more God-centered waters. Just another reason to keep reading with the Bible and allowing God, through His Word, to deal with us.
