Inconvenient Christ

Jesus had a very different idea of what following Him looks like than the American church does. Jesus never asked for (or even accepted) small commitments. When asked if a follower could attend to his father's funeral, Jesus said, "let the dead bury the dead." When Jesus encountered the rich young ruler, He told him to sell everything he had to follow Christ. We get this twisted idea that walking with Christ is something that is supposed to be easy and convenient, but Jesus didn't think so.

If you say you are walking with Christ and there are no areas in your life that Jesus doesn't cause you to be uncomfortable, then you need to re-evaluate your current level of commitment and obedience to Christ. I'm not talking about absurd legalism, but I am saying that Christ compels you to lay down your life every single day to follow Him. If there aren't things you are laying down, you're not fully-devoted in your faith.

When is the last time you changed your schedule to be alone with God? When's the last time you spent serious time in prayer and fasting? How much time do you dedicate to ministry and mission? How does your walk with God affect your money? How much sacrifice are you willing to give?

None of us are perfect, but if we ever start putting our comfort and convenience over the will of God we have become idolaters to our own ideas.