What
Makes You Uncomfortable?
For the time will come when people will not put up
with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather
around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to
hear. - 2 Timothy 4:3
Whenever you go to a doctor for your annual
check-up, he or she will often begin to poke, prod, and press various places,
all the while asking, “Does this hurt?” Now if you cry
out in pain, one of two things has happened. Either the doctor has pushed too
hard, without the right sensitivity. Or, more likely, there’s something wrong,
and the doctor will say, “We’d better do some more tests!”
This is often true when pastors preach on touchy
subjects, and certain members cry out in discomfort, criticizing the message
and the messenger. Either the pastor has pushed too hard, which is possible. Or
perhaps there’s something wrong underneath the surface.
Today’s Scripture is clear that there will come a
time when people will stop putting up with sound doctrine. They’ll want to hear
what makes them feel good instead of the truth. They’ll prefer living under the
illusion that things are okay with them instead of discovering the truth that
there is something very wrong underneath the surface.
The Bible is a tool that the Great Physician uses to
poke and prod in order to identify areas of concern in our lives. So the next
time you read Scripture or hear teaching that makes you uncomfortable, ask
yourself if the pressure is too high, or if maybe there is something under the
surface that needs to be checked out.
Prayer Challenge:
Ask God to help you discern if there are any areas
of your life where you have problems under the surface. Pray that He would give
you the resolve to react appropriately when the “prodding” hurts!