Francis Chan once said, “Let’s be eager to leave what is familiar for what is true.” We tend to cling to what is familiar in spite of what is true. We would rather have what makes us feel comfortable or safe than pursue the truth, which is often uncomfortable and even dangerous. The fact is we spend most of our lives running towards the familiarity of our culture and away from the truth of God.
While we might say we don’t live this way, the truth shows up on our calendars and in our checkbooks. We spend inordinate amounts of time and money on what is familiar, but very little of either on what is true.
I challenge you to keep track of where you spend your time and money for one week. If you are like the typical American Christian, you will be sickened by the results. Or maybe you won’t. Perhaps the reason our lives are so out of balance is because we actually prefer them that way. It’s comfortable. It’s easy. It’s familiar. If our true desire is to be disciples of Jesus, then we have to reverse the trend in our lives of living for the familiar first and the truth second.
If you want to pursue what is familiar, the things society insists you have, that’s your choice. God has given you the right to choose a life other than the one He designed you to live, but to what end? What is the point of trading an eternity in the presence of Jesus for sixty years of the familiar comforts of earth? Eternity has no end, but just for kicks let’s say it was a million years. If that’s all it was, your sixty years of productive life on earth would equal 0.00006 percent of your life. It’s nothing, barely able to be measured. And it’s not even close to how insignificant your time on earth is compared to eternity.
Why would you sacrifice everything for such a trivial amount of earthly comfort and enjoyment? Wouldn’t your time on earth be better spent pursuing the truth for a brief amount of time so you can enjoy the peace and comfort of God’s presence forever? This is in fact what we are called to do. Jesus said we had to forsake our own mothers and fathers for the sake of following Him (Luke 14:26). The life of a disciple is not about familiar comforts; it’s all about following Jesus regardless of how difficult or dangerous it becomes.
We are a people obsessed with comfort. We’ve bought into the lie this life is all about us. It is sad for those who do not know Christ, but it is absolutely unacceptable for those who claim to love Him. What would your life look like if you left the familiar behind to pursue the truth of God? Where might you go? What might you do? Who might you impact with your generosity and selflessness? A life spent pursuing Jesus will be radical and so will its results. It’s time to leave the familiar, pursue the truth, and begin living the life you were created to live.