Today’s Devotional: “Christian or Convenient?”

Back in the 70s, Memorex launched a series of commercials in which Ella Fitzgerald would sing a note that shattered a glass while recording it on a Memorex tape. They’d then play the tape back, and the glass would shatter again, after which they’d ask, “Is it live, or is it Memorex?”

When Jeroboam became King of the 10 northern tribes of Israel, he realized that unless something was done soon about the people’s worship of God, they would be drawn back to God’s temple in Jerusalem and to King Rehoboam, his enemy.

Therefore, Jeroboam instituted a new form of worship, saying, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (1 Kings 12:28)

This raises the question, “Is our obedience to God motivated more by love and devotion or by convenience?”

We live in a world bent on making life as convenient as possible. HGTV gives away a “smart house” in which just about everything can be controlled from an iPhone or iPad.

Personally, I’m waiting for the apps that will cook my meals and handle my work for me.

But it’s now all about convenience. I’m not against convenience; I like a TV remote. The problem is that convenience is creeping into our spiritual lives, especially when it comes to church.

• Is the church easy to reach?
• Are the services offered at a convenient time?
• Do they have what I need to make my experience more enjoyable?

The way Christians view and live their lives makes me wonder whether Jesus left anything out when He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Shouldn’t Jesus have added, “When it’s convenient”?

Do we follow God more out of convenience or out of love and devotion?