The Inconvenience Store

Rev. Ed has a masterpiece up on his blog, reminding readers that Christian service is sometimes inconvenient and unrewarding. But we still have to do it:

We have placed such a value on convenience in our culture. But why? I think the answer is plain. It's selfishness. We do not want to give away anything, or at least not anything that will hurt us in any way. Our comfort reigns. Give up cable TV and instead give the money to a homeless shelter? Unthinkable! Stop doing some expensive hobby to volunteer time for evangelism? Are you nuts? How dare anyone ask us to give up our convenience... our comfort... our excess.

But that's just what Jesus asked us to do. He who tries to save his life will lose it. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow. You know. Those verses we tend to blow right past without looking at them. Jesus told us to put our selfish desires to death, but that's oh, so hard to do. But if the only love we show to our neighbor costs us nothing, is that love really and truly love?

Read the whole thing.