“God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

The book of Ecclesiastes amazes me, mainly because of who wrote it: King Solomon, to whom the God of heaven and earth came in a dream in his youth and spoke, “Ask me for anything.” In humility, he asked, “Give your servant wisdom to govern your people well, that I might discern between good and evil.” This request pleased the Lord so much that not only did He make Solomon the most discerning mind to ever live, but He also gave Solomon what he did not ask for: a long life, fame, riches, power, and the conquering of his enemies. [1 Kings 3] He established one of the most luxurious kingdoms the world has ever seen, and people from the ends of the earth would travel hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to see it for themselves.

All this being said, after all he accomplished for Israel, accumulating all he had, he wrote: “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after the wind.” [1:14] Wow! Maybe he said this because he had to take care of 700 wives! Or maybe, it was that God has put eternity into his heart, and nothing in this world could ever fill the void except God Himself. Unlike his father David, who had to cry out to the Lord almost daily to protect him from his enemies, Solomon had everything at his fingertips in perfect convenience. One of the most tragic verses in the Bible: “For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.” [1 Kings 11:4] Solomon was a frog in the boiling pot of convenience.

Convenience today is at an all-time high. I mean, Amazon Prime Same Day Shipping is just nuts. Anything you want, you can have right now, instant gratification! Convenience has seeped into our spiritual life: it looks a lot like scrolling through Instagram sermon reels instead of searching the scriptures yourself, much like listening to a podcast instead of sitting in silent prayer before the Lord, much like fasting from social media instead of from food, much like watching church online from the couch instead of submitting yourself to church community. Much like knowing how the Gospel has changed your life, and never telling anyone else because it’s uncomfortable to talk with strangers. Much like going to church every week and having never invited one other family into your home for dinner.

The Christian is not called to a life of convenience. We are called to deny ourselves daily, take up our cross, and follow Him. (Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23) We are to live our baptism of repentance daily, “considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11) We are to respond to grace in radical faith, one that renounces everything that gets in the way of following Jesus wholeheartedly. (Luke 14:33, Matthew 19:29) We are to care for the vulnerable, feed the hungry (Isaiah 58:10, Matthew 25:35) and house the needy (Isaiah 58:7, Matthew 25:38). We are supposed to be inconveniently Good Samaritans, extending mercy and aid beyond our comfort zones. (Luke 10:29-37) We are commanded to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-28)

In America, we really do not know what it means to cry out to God in persecution. Have you ever read some of David’s Psalms and thought to yourself, “I just can’t connect”? I don’t know what it means to be hated without cause and hunted down by those who want to destroy me [Ps. 69:4]! But my heart cries out for the persecuted church around the world, in the Middle East, in the Koreas, China, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and many others. Convenience is not at their convenience in the presence of persistent peril. Yet, like much like the early disciples, they’re losing their lives for Jesus’s sake and for the Gospel (Mark 8:35), championing the name of Jesus despite the consequences.

My concluding question and call to action for the convenient church in America is: if we are not currently being persecuted, then how can we aid our global Christian family, lest we be like the priests and Levites passing by the wounded brother on the side of the road? Moreover, how can we imitate the faith of the modern-day martyrs even though everything is so easy for us in the States? My prayer and heart’s cry are all I have to offer, but I urgently seek your knowledge of organizations or mission opportunities where we can provide financial support, prayer, or involvement. Please comment! 

Once we decide to set aside this enemy of grace, convenience, and pick up our cross, I believe God’s grace will meet us in fresh new ways, filling that endless, insatiable void in our hearts with His eternal and immeasurable glory!