In our society convenience has become very important. Manufacturers have begun to mass produce certain items because they are convenient for people to use. These things make our lives much easier, and save us lots of time and work. Some of these items are appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, or microwave ovens. Other things could be places of convenience such as Super Centers, Mega Markets, shopping malls, or the convenient store. All of these places save you time and effort because they sell a variety of goods all under one roof. Then, there are the disposable items of convenience. How did mothers manage without disposable diapers and baby wipes??? Some other commonly used disposable items are paper plates, plastic eating utensils, disposable razors, disposable contact lens, and even disposable cameras. There's nothing wrong with using all of these disposable items for our convenience. There is, however, a price to pay. Because these products relieve us from time and effort, they tend to cost more. You pay for the convenience.
Unfortunately, many churches today have become places of convenience. There are a variety of 'goods' you can obtain all under one roof. They are offering people a 'disposable' Bible and a 'convenient salvation.' They treat God's word as if you can read a page or preach a page and then throw it away! It never gets past the intellect into the heart. 'It goes into one ear and out the other,' so to speak. In many churches today the words of the Bible are read, but never done. I know, because I used to be one of those church members who would throw away what I heard on Sunday so I could conveniently live how I wanted to. Before I got saved I declared that I believed the Bible, yet my actions showed otherwise. I had not come to a place where I was ready to fully believe all the Bible said, much less believe Jesus. I lived like I could use the Bible for my own convenience and throw away the parts that were too hard or took too much work. People are paying a high price for this convenience of throwing doctrine away. As a result, people are also getting a false sense of security over a false salvation. I was once there. I settled for the 'convenient' and 'easy salvation.' It saved me a lot of time and effort. It was so easy! It was the type of religion that could be thrown away if being religious got too difficult or burdensome. How convenient! But what a price!!!
If God had not physically and spiritually
intervened
in my life, I would have died and gone to Hell - for convenience. It
wasn't
very convenient for Jesus to leave Heaven and come to earth. It wasn't
very convenient for Him to endure the cross and be judged for my sins.
There is also a high cost involved for purity in doctrine and truth. It
cost Jesus His life. In exchange for His life, I must lay down my own
life;
therefore, it cost me my life too. But, I'd rather pay a lot for
something
more valuable than pure gold, than to pay a lot for a worthless
counterfeit.
I thank God that He shined the light on my convenient "salvation" so
that
I could see that it was going to cost more than it was worth. He showed
me I could throw away that old life of convenience and He'd give me a
brand
new one that would last forever.
-Karen Hill