Dear Lighthouse,
We live in a society that is obsessed with convenience. Our cars have controls to windows, doors, and radio conveniently located on the steering
wheel so we don’t have to strain ourselves by reaching for them elsewhere. Our
houses are centered around our convenience. We have TV, VCR, DVD, and radio remote
controls to help us out. We have dishwashers, vacuums, indoor plumbing and electrical
outlets that line the walls. Our food is conveniently shrink-wrapped, frozen,
sealed, and packaged in the most sensible way possible to ease our use. Fast
foods and quick meals are even served in stores where you can get gas, play the Lotto, grab a newspaper, and take home dinner
at the same time; they are appropriately named convenience stores.
The question is, “Is convenience bad?” In and of itself I don’t think so. However,
the subtle danger that lurks within convenience is laziness. Too often when things
are made too easy we get lazy and dependent. We begin to expect things to come
easily and get infuriated when things don’t work out like we would want. Convenience
feeds the beast within each of us that wants to live a life of ease and experience no pain or frustration. I think Karl Marx said religion was an opiate for the masses. I
believe a convenient, lazy apathy is a more potent drug. Perhaps this is where
Adam and Eve began their decline. Things were so convenient in the Garden that
they could not fathom why any restrictions should be placed upon them. As Julie’s
grandfather used to say if you impatiently asked for the butter while holding a slice of bread, “You act like it was
owed ya’.”
The most worrisome spill-over from this type
of mindset is our approach toward our relationship with God. Many people put
“get religion” on their “to do” list but it is not much of a priority.
Many people cannot fathom a God who would punish evil-doers, thinking they should get another chance, a fair shake. After all, isn’t Heaven owed to ya’?
The unfortunate and often harsh reality is that, no, Heaven is not owed to anyone.
It only comes from our own conscience decision to answer the gracious invitation of a loving and merciful God. We need only to follow on the road that He Himself has paved with the blood of His
Lamb.
Yet, we find the average Christian weighed down
with worry, fraught with self-centered introspection, or defeated by the sense of “the Bible is incomprehensible to
someone like me”. In other words the Christian life is not convenient. It requires too much of me. God wants
to insert Himself in everything I do and everything I think. Discipleship is
inconvenient and incompatible with my life’s schedule.
To all that I say, join the club! Living the life of a follower of Jesus is hard. It is demanding. It is inconvenient. But oh, the wonderful
benefits of putting Him at the core of your life. After all, what is life? Isn’t it all about God? Yes, it
is!
I can think of no better passage of Scripture
that introduces the believer to the fact that discipleship comes at a price than the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. I encourage you to take some time to review this section to regain your perspective
if you find it has been skewed by the longing for ease and convenience.
Jesus is calling for people to change their mindsets
in these chapters.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:10-21)
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will
wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than
clothes? But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:25, 33)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven…Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams
rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matt. 7:22, 25)
Do you hear the Master? Do you see His point? He’s calling us up to a higher
plane of living – the genuine plane of existence that is set apart from masses living in the mist of apathy and self-deception. Truly we are here to experience God, hear His calling, and to respond by accepting
His invitation to open a relationship with Him that will last a lifetime and an eternity of lifetimes beyond.
We are not to do the will of God just when it’s
convenient. We are to submit to the will of God on all occasions. (Eph. 6:18-20) We are not to share the good news of the gospel when it suits us. We are to be ready “in season and out of season”.
(II Tim. 4:2) We are not to put ourselves first in all matters, but “consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
(Hebrews 12:1-4) Don’t wait to show mercy when it is easy; give mercy when
it may hurt a little. (Matt. 5:7) Understand you cannot sacrifice when the service
or gift comes at no cost to you – that is simply not sacrifice.
These are hard, life-altering concepts. Quite frankly they make me uncomfortable because I love creature comforts just like
you. However, because Jesus beckons us to come follow Him away from our comfort
zones I know they are on the right track to wisdom and our ultimate purpose as disciples.
I’ll leave you with one final image from
the book of Acts. When Paul was imprisoned, on his way to Rome, where his final
mission field would be before his death at their hands, he was put under the authority of a man named Felix. Acts 24:22 tells us that Felix was “well acquainted with the
Way” (Christianity, the teachings of Christ). He was to judge Paul. He listened to Paul’s messages. It
seems he even enjoyed it to some extent. He even brought his wife Drusilla, a
Jewess, to come and listen to Paul who was under house arrest. But as Paul’s
message got closer to Jesus, closer to the foundational tenants of discipleship, as he came closer to calling on Felix to
make a decision about Christ, I believe Felix became more and more uncomfortable.
Pick
up the feelings and notice the words in Acts 24:25, “As Paul discoursed on righteousness,
self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for
you.”
Ah, can you
feel it? Did you catch it? He was
afraid. Afraid of making the commitment to God.
Afraid of entering into a relationship with a God who wants change. He
was entertained by Paul up to the point of talking about righteousness, self-control, and judgment. And what did he say? When Felix found it convenient he would listen more, but right now he had other things to worry about – and things to avoid.
I encourage
and challenge you this week to listen to the Master. Consider His call. Take stock of your life and evaluate your commitment to God. Are you a Christian of convenience or a disciple that is willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of the
Lord that leads you? Have you come to the cross wanting to hide from responsibility
or ready to shoulder it for His sake? These are tough questions you have to answer
in your own heart. However, you are warmly invited to join us – the imperfect
people who are struggling to change inside out – and grow right along with us in a deeper relationship with the Father.
Don’t
wait to start when it’s convenient. Start today.
Serving Him with you,
Evan