Brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, peace be to you! It has been yet another beautiful day He has given unto us, with breath and with love. O then, how much more shall we raise our thanks to Him, for He has indeed given us our daily bread, and given to us His life which was sacrificed for our sins, in order that we may live. What Grace we receive, O, no longer as slaves to sin nor are we bound by sin, but to the good, good God! Thus we rejoice boldly with great rejoicing, as an overflowing cup that even the Kingdom of God hears our songs of thanksgiving, that such mercy has been bestowed upon us! O you who are in despair due to the state of yourself, did not Christ accomplish more than dying on the cross, but also rose? Or did Christ really die in vain? May that never be! But He died and rose for you and for us, the Church, so not only do we grief, but also be glad He is alive! You who were stuck in sin, then, are stuck no more, as long as you're with the Lord, Who has accomplished all good in the resurrection and demolished all evil that we wonder; what cannot be overcome? But come outside and see! Walk amidst His creation! The flowers and the trees, are any the same? The stars and the fish of the sea, are they not important too? But all are special and unique, that make up a more vibrant whole! All are substantial and as part of the whole tree as the others. Are we not more valuable than the leaves God's brought forth, and are we not to bring judgement even to the fallen angels (1Co 6:3)? But partaking in God through His Body, we stumble, but do not fall. Fall, but do not fall into destruction. For God cares about us, upholding us on His right hand, guarding us under His wings, loving us as the Father to His children, so that we, too, can share in His Glory when He comes again, with an sharp sword and an iron rod (Rev 19:15).  But God truly is merciful, to wait on us sinners, for us to turn from our evil ways, not to more evil, but to good. 
He loves us still, so hold fast to Him, and let His Love be through you, with you, in you, always. Amen.
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If we are to be real with ourselves for just a second, and look at our lifestyle along with the things we think, say, and do, in secret or not, would God be pleased? Or do we make ourselves hypocrites, unclean cups (Mt 23:25) whitewashed tombs (Mt 23:27), so nice and pretty on the outside, but inside store up for ourselves the pleasure of men and the pride of self. Look at the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, who always choose the best of seats for themselves (Mt 23:6), and the best comforts of life. How are we any different? But are we not Christians, or do we only call ourselves Christians? Or do we not know how Christians act or what the early Christians had to endure? However, the Word has been given to us, so that we may know the early Christians do suffer persecution indeed, and in 2 Timothy 3:12, we are reminded "...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2Ti 3:12). Not one, not maybe, but all. 

Thus my brothers and sisters, how are we to live this lifestyle of persecution, if we also try to latch onto the comforts of the flesh so many of us had grown accustomed to? Or are we to finally dwell in God, but because of the lie of the devil and hardships, fall away? No, but we are to be in God with consistency. The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast..." (1Co 15:58) meaning to be spiritually grounded, "...immovable," (v58) especially in the face of temptation which may bring carnal, temporary comforts, "...always abounding in the work of the Lord," (v58) which again, does not say 'sometimes' abounding, but always, not just when we just feel like getting up to do something for the Lord, but we are called to always be abounding in God and to do His work, "...knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (v58), which is the promise that our labor, though no one may see it, is not in vain when done in the Lord. Therefore, this consistency, which is done by faith and works in the Spirit with love, can truly bring us out of our fleshly comforts, so that like Paul writes, we, too, can live godly lives, having followed God's doctrine which is with "...purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions," (v10) which not only the Apostle Paul grounded himself in and suffered, but many other Christians who rejected the comforts of this world to live with God consistently. 

One example, and definitely one of the most cruel examples out there, is Job, who wrote the Book of Job in the Bible. He was rich and although was very wealthy, honored God above all else. He loves God deeply and is a righteous man, even cited as "perfect" in the KJV (Job 1:1) (though the Hebrew word "tam" suggests though Job displays moral integrity and is blameless, and not perfect in the sense of being completely without sin), which God Himself affirms him on in Job 1:8. However, despite being so upright, Satan, the Accuser, accuses Job is only so willing to follow God because of his wealth, which is to say, his comforts. I mean the man has everything he could ever want; children, livestock, servants, though because of this comfortable lifestyle, Satan uses that against Job to say his faith is not genuine towards God, especially if his comforts were to be taken away, to which God allows. So in one day, Job's children were killed, his livestock stolen, his servants struck down, his house torn, yet despite this tragedy, Job collapses, not in defeat, but to worship God. But then came the sores, and his health declines, and even his wife and friends were certain Job must've committed some secret evil sin for God to be this mad. From there onward till the great storm cloud where God talked to Job, we can see Job, like any normal person would, is angry and in despair, calling God corrupt (Job 9:23) and Him the one Who's vexed his soul (Job 27:2). Yet in Job 27:3-4 he still proclaims it is God who gives him breath and as long as he is alive, he will not utter out wickedness against God. These passages paint us a picture that amidst his suffering, he still questions God with inconsistent thoughts when his comforts have been stripped away. At the end, what Job had to learn was to be consistent with God and surrender, even when he's suffering and even when he had no comforts to lean unto. And that, my friends, is what many of us need to be trained to do. To submit ourselves to God no matter the circumstances, to confess and repent as Job did (in Job 42), and regard ourselves as "...dust and ashes." (Job 42:6). To know that God is greater than our own understanding, and knowing no matter if we're in comfort or suffering, we need to be consistent, instead of accusing God one verse and praising Him the next. Rather, we are to trust God, humble ourselves, and be consistent with Him, not when we feel like it, but also when we don't feel like loving God, to which we are to love Him all the more. 

In the early Church, we are taught by actions of how comforts in the flesh are opposed to consistency with God, however when we make the choice to walk in consistency with God, we are all the more glorified in our tribulations (Rom 5:3). This example can be shown by an early Church martyr Polycarp, who when demanded to curse Christ to save his own life, responded with, " 'Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?' ". With consistency Polycarp has served God, so when he was persecuted he would be ready to face the persecution with courage in the Lord. Unlike many lukewarm Christians, who follow Christ perhaps only on Sundays or not even that, Polycarp is the example if we are to trust the Lord, we need to follow Him with consistency by denying the earthly comforts so when the time comes, we are prepared to serve Him on all ends till the last of our breaths. More examples of Christians who denied the flesh to serve the Lord are known as the "Desert Fathers"; Saint Anthony the Great, Saint Paul of Thebes, and Saint Macarius the Egyptian, who practiced asceticism with unceasing prayer to grow closer to God, by placing themselves in an environment where physical comforts were removed. Again, we are reminded that being consistent with God is not done in a day, but many many years to as long as we live. Now this does not mean temptation is no more, but rather temptation is to be expected and then neutralized, rejected, and fled from by the power of God and our love for God. 

Therefore, whether it is Job, or Polycarp, or the early Church ascetics, two things are clear for what makes a Christian, and that is; being a Christian is not physically comfortable, nor are Christians to be inconsistent, but we are to repent always. We, as Christians, thus, are not to expect or live a comfortable life, or delight in worldly pleasure, because the Bible condemns worldly pleasure, and so do the early Church, and so do Jesus Christ Himself when He told us to deny ourselves, carry our cross daily, and follow Him (Lk 9:23).

Now, I do not write this for all of us to radically change, though that would be my greatest hope, but if only a seed were to be planted, that we know how comfort may be the very thing (especially in this modern age) that hinders our relationship with Christ Jesus. Because for me, that is very much the case. I admit I am far from God, not in the sense that God is far from me, but I from God, for in my action I sin and what my eye delights on is sin, because I lie to myself that I can be part of a child of the world while trying to be a child of God, which is impossible. But knowing what has already been revealed, we must admit our sins to one other and to God, and bring what has been hidden in the dark for so long into the light, and rid ourselves of this comfortable lifestyle which Jesus Christ did not call us to be in. But knowing also God to be the merciful God Who waits on us, when we do repent, God indeed is loving and just to wash us clean when the repenting is lived out.

But above all else, love God. Because in this warfare against the flesh and the old habits and demons, we cannot win alone or by our own power. But we must remember it has already been overcome on the Cross by Christ Jesus. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). For Love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1Cor 13:7). Surely, then, this temptation of comfort will not stop us from the Love of God. And we shall grow in consistency with the Lord our God forever and ever, in Love. 

In the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we all pray in this age and the age to come, for this wicked and evil generation to truly repent, in Jesus's Name, Amen.

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King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Come!