Holy or Hollow?

You cannot please God without making sacrifices. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matt. 16:24).”

Once, I attended a football game played in a major thunderstorm. In fact, the game was delayed due to a tornado warning. Once the game began, the fans sat on metal bleachers as thunder shook the stadium and lightning struck near the field. No one left. Driving rain fell sideways throughout most of the game. Still, no one left. The fans were committed to their teams.

Ironically, some of the folks who endured the storm for the sake of the team had told me they were unable to attend church on Sunday mornings because the early moist morning air “played havoc with their sinuses.” Also, some the fans that regularly sat on metal bleachers for hours at a time had told me they could not attend my church because the pews “hurt their backs.”

The importance of commitment is valued in all areas of life. However, many seem to apply a different standard to the practice of Christianity.

If your car starts two out of three times, is it a dependable and faithful vehicle? If you call in sick (whether your sick or not) once every two weeks, are you faithful employee? Do coaches care whether their most athletic players show up for all the games?

If you are a church member, and you attend church infrequently, are you a faithful church member? Do committed Christians attend church only when it is convenient and their favorite sporting event is not on TV?

Jerry Bridges has said: “Many Christians have what we might call a ‘cultural holiness.’ They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.”

In conclusion, John Ortberg has said, “The decision to grow always involves a choice between risk and comfort. This means that to be a follower of Jesus you must renounce comfort as the ultimate value of your life.”

I am so glad Jesus did not choose comfort over the cross.