When we reshape our faith to fit our comfort, we must ask ourselves what is being lost in the process. What is the true cost of a faith that demands nothing difficult from us?
King David understood that the most dangerous threats to our faith are often the ones hidden deep within our own hearts. He prayed for honest self-examination, inviting God to search him and reveal any offensive way that might lead him away from the path of life. Let us make his prayer our own as we begin.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)
In our spiritual lives, it is crucial to identify the modern, unseen idols that compete for our ultimate allegiance. While we may picture ancient statues of wood or gold, idols are not merely physical objects. They are powerful internal loyalties that misdirect our devotion from the one true God and onto things that can never satisfy.
Theologian Tim Keller provides a clear and penetrating modern definition of an idol as:
“Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.”
This definition moves the struggle from an external temple to the internal landscape of the human heart. Keller goes on to state that “the human heart is an idol factory,” a sobering reminder that the temptation to create and worship counterfeit gods is a constant and universal human struggle that requires our vigilance.
One of the most subtle and pervasive idols of our time: the idol of convenience. This idol promises a life of ease, efficiency, and comfort. A headline in The Guardian observed, “Modern hyper-convenience is a kind of deal with the devil.” This statement hints at a profound spiritual truth: a life relentlessly pursuing convenience stands in direct and unavoidable conflict with a life of authentic Christian faith.
When we reshape our faith to fit our comfort, we must ask ourselves what is being lost in the process. What is the true cost of a faith that demands nothing difficult from us?
Jesus did not call his followers to a life of ease; he issued a radical invitation: “take up your cross.” This call to sacrificial living is the polar opposite of a modern desire for a spiritual experience that is exclusively uplifting. As Pastor Byron Chicken warns, when convenience shapes our souls, we become “no longer capable of or hungry for what faith requires.” We lose the spiritual muscle needed to “stretch, strengthen, suffer, and endure.” A faith built on convenience is a faith that avoids the cross, not understanding that the power of resurrection is only accessed through the suffering of crucifixion.
The idol of convenience, therefore, can steal the power within our calling, because our resurrection power in Christ is accessed through the inconvenience of carrying our cross first. When we systematically avoid the cross, we are left with what the Apostle Paul calls a “form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). This hollowed-out spirituality often manifests in several ways:
- Detached Consumption: We replace participation in a local church community with consuming sermons from celebrity pastors online, enjoying the message without the relational cost.
- Shallow Engagement: We live off “fast food scripture verses” delivered by phone apps, substituting quick spiritual snacks for the deep, transformative nourishment of diligent study.
- Individualized Worship: We trade the corporate gathering of God’s people for on-demand worship with our favorite bands on YouTube, fitting worship into our schedule rather than scheduling our lives around worship.
This temptation is perfectly illustrated by what we might call the “Esau syndrome.” In Genesis 25:29-34, a famished Esau returns from the field and trades his significant, long-term birthright blessing to his brother Jacob for the immediate convenience of a bowl of stew. He did it without a second thought. As the scripture puts it, “That’s how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.” This is a powerful metaphor for the modern Christian who is tempted to trade the profound, eternal blessings that come from conviction and perseverance for the fleeting satisfaction of an easy walk with God now.
Having understood the high cost of this idol, let us now turn to the practical, biblical model for dismantling it in our lives.
The story of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 provides a practical model for how to defeat the idols in our hearts. Facing the prophets of the false god Baal, Elijah did not simply make a speech; he took specific, intentional actions before calling down the fire of God. His actions show us a three-fold path to breaking the idol of convenience and returning to a faith of deep conviction.
Elijah’s first act was to call the people to “Come over here!” as he “repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.” The first step in overcoming any idol is to return, moving God from the periphery of our lives back to the absolute center. We must refocus our hearts on our why—God Himself and His purpose for us. This means consciously reorienting our work, our relationships, and our decisions around Him, not our own ease.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
After calling the people to return, Elijah “used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord.” We must rebuild our what—our active worship. True worship is not a passive feeling but an active offering, and it almost always requires the sacrifice of our convenience. We rebuild our worship when we intentionally reintroduce the “inconvenient expressions of worship through service, generosity, commitment and disciplines.” This is what the Apostle Paul calls us to in Romans 12:1-2, urging us to take our “everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Worship becomes the willing surrender of our comfort and preferences as a loving response to God.
Elijah used twelve stones to rebuild the altar, “one to represent each of the tribes of Israel.” This was an act of remembrance. He was reminding the people that their faith was not a solo contract with God that could be cancelled when it became inconvenient. It was a covenant—a deep, binding relationship with God and with His people. God promised:
I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Hebrews 8:10 (NLT)
Remembering this truth changes everything. We are faithful servants, not perfect saints, and faithful servants aren’t perfect in their performance but faithful in their pursuit of God. A contract is based on performance; a covenant is based on promise and perseverance. In a church community, covenant continues to bring us back to finding one another when things become inconvenient. Instead of just abolishing the contract when we are offended, we fight for reconciliation under covenant.
These steps provide a clear pathway from a life of convenience to a life of conviction, preparing our hearts for a more honest self-assessment.
Reflect
Dismantling an idol requires honest and sometimes difficult self-examination. Use the following questions to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal the influence of the idol of convenience in your life.
- In what specific area of my life has a desire for convenience caused me to avoid the sacrificial “cross” Jesus calls me to carry?
- If my spiritual life were assessed, would it be described as having true resurrection power, or merely a “form of godliness” that prioritizes comfort?
- Am I currently in danger of the “Esau syndrome”—trading a long-term spiritual blessing for a short-term, convenient satisfaction?
- What is one practical, inconvenient act of worship (in service, giving, or discipline) I can “rebuild” into my life this week as an offering to God?
- When I am offended or challenged within my church community, is my first instinct to break the “contract” and leave, or to honor the “covenant” and seek reconciliation?
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your loving and clarifying Word. Forgive us for the times we have elevated our own comfort and convenience above Your call on our lives. Grant us the strength to choose deep conviction over shallow convenience. Help us to joyfully take up our cross and follow You. Teach us to return our hearts to You daily, to rebuild our lives as an authentic act of worship, and to remember that we are Your covenant people, called to persevere together. May our lives be a pleasing offering that honors you above all else. Amen.
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