Words of Wisdom - No 2

Gary Thomas writes:

The physical and social luxuries of our world … make it more difficult for us to face the hard internal issues because we don’t have to — there are plenty of escapes. Radios, newspapers, televisions, and videos keep our minds occupied from 6 am to midnight; the weightier thoughts of Christian commitment and sacrifice never need to bother us. We can literally hide from the truth of the gospel and our responsibility to serve God by filling our lives with noise. Maybe the luxurious world in which middle-class Christians live assaults our faith every bit as much as the deprivation of the Middle Ages. Former saints had nowhere to turn but to God; we can take our pick.

And while our external world is miles apart from the ancients,’ the internal world remains the same. Unbelief, sin, and temptation are no less numerous for us … than they were for our spiritual ancestors. The ancients’ message that the Christian life is difficult is every bit as relevant today as when it was first spoken by Christ. We’re just a little less willing to embrace it. How do we talk about the cross to a generation that finds un-fluffed pillows intolerable?

FROM: Gary Thomas, Seeking the Face of God (Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 1999), p 166.