Convenience or the Cross

It appears a group of Muslims inAustralia want local universities to alter class schedules to fit around their prayer times.  In addition, they would also like separate female-only eating and recreation areas.  This is the most recent article in a long series from all over the world—England, Australia, the Netherlands, even here in the United States.  To me it highlights a disturbing trend, but not the one you might think.

 

I have seen some present these articles as proof of the attempted Muslim takeover of the Western world, and they may or may not be.  But I do believe they point to a far more sinister force, that of apathy and laziness.  Unfortunately, these forces are not just at work among Muslim college students, they are also at work among many Americans of all faiths.  There is a desire to have a spiritual experience, or to follow a particular religion, but only if it is easy and convenient.

 

“I know I need to pray, but it’s too confusing to work my class schedule around.  The university needs to change the way they operate to make things easier for me.”  “I know my religion calls for me to follow certain food restrictions, but it’s too much for me to do my own cooking or to brown bag from home.  The cafeteria needs to change what it serves to accommodate me.”

 

Of course many of the world’s religions call for inconvenient acts of worship.  But the one religion that should not be experiencing this apathy and laziness (but still is) is Christianity.  Ours is the one religion where we are called to die daily; where our founder’s words still echo through the ages “Take up your cross and follow me.”  The cross is a most inconvenient experience.  Let us never get into our hearts that following Christ should be easy or convenient. 

 

What I’m talking about here is not more rules or stricter adherence.  Mark Driscoll defined worship as what we do with our time, our talent, and our treasure.  As Christ-followers, how convenient is our worship?  How much of our time do we give to God?  How much of our talent and our treasure are his?  Are we willing to worship God no matter how uncomfortable it is?  How often do we seek our convenience more than God’s glory?

 

Just something I’ve been thinking about.

 

Josh