Convenient Faith

Everyone's seen the meme calling the manual transmission a "millennial anti-theft device". That's funny and probably mostly true but it is also quite sad. Because the automatic transmission is just another example of what's wrong with our faith these days.

We are a society of convenience. If it's not convenient for us to do something we just don't want to do it. That goes for driving cars, buying groceries, getting married and having babies. The same thing is true about our relationships, especially our relationship with God.

Everything has to be convenient for us. That's why we have "convenience stores". Why do you think KwikTrip is so popular? It's convenient! Their popularity speaks volumes about our wimpy character.

Our faith should not be convenient but churches have made it that way. Multiple worship times to fit our schedule, bending over backwards to please everybody, they even have drive through confessionals!

Our relationship with Christ cannot be convenient. We can't simply "believe and receive", as the prosperity gospel says, and suddenly be filled with all knowledge. When we first come to believe we soon find out that there's a lot of work to be done. Reading, studying, learning.

Our faith needs to be more like a race car driver than a bus driver. We need to work at it. Not a faith-based works system like some religions have. That's not biblical. What I am talking about it when our prayer life and worship life, our relationships and the way we live our lives all perfectly mesh together into a well-trained athlete or race car driver.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Grace has been extended to us from God. It is free. But it does come with a training manual. Anyone can go to church. It's just like starting a car. But it's up to us to find a gear for our faith and step on the gas.

Race Car Driver Footwork