Welcome to Oxymoron Of The Day (OOTD). There are a combination of words that are patently contradictory, it is sometimes good to expose these for the oxymorons they are.
Convenient Christianity: Is What?
There is a way in which the gospel is presented that makes it centred on the human. When it’s presented that way, the impression is given that God wants your life to be as hassle free as possible. Oh sure, hassles happens, but if God is for you – so the pitch appears – the fullness of life and enjoying life can be more at your convenience. Jesus’s invitation to enter His rest is seen as a life that shouldn’t incorporate that much in the way of inconvenience.
That kind of perspective can be reinforced by an approach to church life that is more about entertainment and a feel good factor. Lovely feelings are your friends and nothing should put you out as you pursue the life of greatest pleasure with the least in the way of effort and activity because God will do it all.
Convenient Christianity: So What?
There’s quite a lot in the Bible and even in the life of Jesus that is tough to take. Following Jesus involves quite a lot that could be considered inconvenient.
Loving your enemies, for example, does not immediately appear convenient – especially when practiced on an ongoing basis in difficult circumstances. It’s not convenient when those you are called to love are still looking for your downfall.
As another example taking up your cross daily as Jesus instructs is definitely not an activity in celebrating the convenient. Be honest. There are some things that you don’t like and are thus easy to crucify. There are some things, however, that have become familiar and embedded in the way you do life, but actually hinder right relationship with God. That whole cross way of living is a lot of things, but convenient isn’t one of them.
Convenient Christianity: Now What?
It’s not to suggest we go into relationships immediately highlighting just how bad things could be. There is plenty true, noble, right, pure, excellent, admirable, lovely and praiseworthy to be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s worth meditating and celebrating these truths. Those truths are not completely, however unless we acknowledge how we will need God to do much in our hearts so we can deal with those inconvenient aspects of the faith.
That’s about prioritising the relationship that matters most and in the same way as folks of faith have dealt with significant inconvenience in their own lives, we can work from the basis of love for God.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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