Did you ever wonder why the Lord would take us out of our comfort zone? The first thing I thought of was so that we will grow and mature in the Lord. He could also be preparing us for a ministry that we would never just go out and do. Another reason though could be strictly for the benefit of others.
He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. John 4:8
Many years ago before we started doing Kid’s Crusades we were invited by a little church in Kentucky to preach some evangelistic services. The pastor’s name was Brother Ross. He was a wonderful older gentleman whom I was privileged to get to know.
As we were sitting at the kitchen table one evening, our discussion turned toward the tobacco industry. Most of the farmers in that region grow that crop. As a young arrogant evangelist, I commented that I would never work in tobacco.
Brother Ross said in all his years he had never had to work in it, but then he made a very profound statement. He said, “but a man will work almost anywhere if he gets hungry enough.” He was saying in order to feed his family, he would step out of his comfort zone.
I thank the Lord for many precious nuggets of wisdom I have received through the years. They have helped me in my development of Christian maturity.
The Woman at the Well
In John 8, Jesus arrived at a well and asked the woman there for a drink of water. This story has always intrigued me in more ways than one. The woman immediately reminded Jesus that Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans.
With that in mind, where are the disciples? They were in the village. You know a village filled with Samaritan people. What were they doing? Buying food.
This is the part of the story that really interests me. They were very fussy about the people they associated with and the foods they ate. If there is a question-and-answer time in heaven, these are some questions I wouldn’t mind asking.
- Were they so hungry that they did something Jews didn’t do?
- Did Jesus send them on a mission just to take them out of their comfort zones?
- Or, did He send them out of their comfort zones so He could effectively minister to this woman?
Out of our Comfort Zone
Since we are not in heaven yet, let me remind you. There are times when the Lord expects us to go out of our comfort zones. And you know what? it can be very uncomfortable. But we can rest assured that he will never leave us nor forsake us.
Related Post: When You’re Out of Your Comfort Zone, Trust God
Lord, thank you for being there for us and guiding us, even during those times when we are out of our comfort zone
You can read the entire chapter of John 4
You would enjoy reading the cornerstone post on discipleship called How To Be An Effective Devoted Disciple Of Jesus
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