“Same-Day Delivery”
EPISODE 13
Invest in Your Faith
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Wouldn't it be convenient if somehow you could order a box of righteousness from Amazon? You'd add it to your cart, give your credit card information, and choose same-day delivery. Then you'd find it delivered to your doorstep in frustration-free packaging. Without much effort at all, you'd finally have that shiny new righteousness you've always wanted!
"Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God" (Acts 8:18-21).
They didn't have Amazon Prime subscriptions, but that didn't stop Simon from asking the apostles to add the power of the Holy Spirit to his shopping cart. He was looking for a convenient option with same day shipping, and was even willing to pay money for it. God doesn't operate to satisfy our desire for convenience. For Simon, a more severe heart problem was lurking under the surface that he needed to address.
We do the same thing when we look for easy answers from God. Searching for solutions that make us feel comfortable and shore up our preconceptions, but don't challenge us to put in the real effort required for genuine transformation. Are you willing to put in the time and effort in your faith, or are you looking for the easy option that doesn't cost you as much?
So what do we do when we see ourselves looking for convenient solutions to life's problems? As Peter went on to tell Simon, "Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you" (Acts 8:22). We need to start by changing our mindset! God wants you to invest in becoming more spiritually mature, as he works in you for his pleasure (Phil. 2:13). It's going to be a slow process without shortcuts, but the final result will be eternally rewarding. As we identify and correct these attitudes, we also need to be on our knees in prayer to God. He already knows when we're looking for the easy solution, so we must be honest with him (and ourselves) about our intentions. Thankfully he's willing to forgive us when we lay our hearts bare before him.
May we all carefully examine our hearts today to reveal any desires to take shortcuts in our walk with him.
