Sacrifice to be Holy

A few days ago, my daily Bible reading plan had me read Ezekiel 4.  In that chapter the prophet is asked to act out the siege of Jerusalem. God tells his prophet to lay on his left side for 390 days, eating and drinking in amounts that display the siege, and then to turn over on his right side and to do it for another 40 days.

To show the severity of the siege Ezekiel is told to cook his food over dried human dung…what a pleasant thought!, but here is the thing, Ezekiel doesn’t seem to bat an eye at the thought of laying on his side before the people for 430 days, but when told to cook over that he says, “I have never defiled myself…”.  God allows him to cook it over dried cow dung!
What’s my point?  Ezekiel was not worried about his comfort, but he was concerned about being holy.  How many times do we place comfort over holiness?  Sleep over prayer, tv over Scripture, or food over fasting?

God has called us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross daily, and to follow Him.  That will rarely be comfortable, but it is necessary if we want to be holy.  It is rare that I get up early eagerly, but I do it because I want to be with Him.  When is the last time you were physically uncomfortable for the sake of holiness?