Daily Direction Reading PlanSample

In our country, sleepy drivers cause 100,000 accidents and 1,500 deaths every year. People tend to fall asleep when they get too comfortable at the wheel. Comfort might also help to explain why the church is declining in America while it grows in other parts of the world. Several times in the Bible, God warns His people of what can happen when we prosper and things are going well. In Deuteronomy 8, God told the ancient people of Israel: "Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God. For when you have become full and prosperous, and have built fine homes to live in, and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, that is the time to be careful." People who have it easy tend to go to sleep at the wheel. In contrast to people who are at ease, God's servant Paul was willing to suffer. He says he endured prison and deprivations because doing so brought glory to God and served as a model for others to follow. He urged Timothy to be ready to suffer: "If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." Too many comforts can lull us to sleep; they can cause us to forget God who enabled us to prosper in the first place.