Ephesians 1: 15-20
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
In response to the hasty nature of life these days, and also as a matter of convenience, many businesses have created drive-through experiences for the comfort of their clients. A majority of the fast food chains in North America have adopted this service model. As mentioned earlier, the motive of this initiative is to provide comfort, and convenience for the clients.
Drive-through restaurants have been in operation for a while now. Drive through banking is also another interesting initiative; right inside the comfort of your car, you can interact with the bank machine for a deposit, or withdrawal as the case may be. As life gradually progresses, it is tempting to believe that more systems will be created or designed in answer to this unending busyness of life.
However, as beneficial as this initiative is, one cannot help but observe a system in which the drive-through experience will fail – the Christian life. Being a Christian demands an investment of time and effort; it is not a matter of comfort or convenience as characterized by a drive-through experience. Time and effort must be invested in studying the word of God, praying, and spending time with God.
If all you do is take quick glances at your Bible (never taking the time to study and meditate), mutter a few words in the name of prayer, or spend fleeting moments in partial fellowship with God, then all you are having is a drive-through experience; and you will most likely suffer from what I call ‘Stunted Spiritual Growth (SSG)’ – a reduced growth rate that never exhibits the maturity expected of the spiritual ‘age’ in question – this is a primary manifestation of spiritual malnutrition!
So with all its comfort, convenience, and benefits, a drive-through experience can never produce a deeper walk with God. If you want to receive essential nourishments for growth, discover more of God, be used mightily by Him, and generally make a success of your Christian walk; you’ve got to take the long route – no drive through, no short cuts. You’ve got to immerse yourself in the Word, invest time with God, and fellowship with like minds.
It’s your choice today – will you put in the time and effort required for spiritual growth, or will you settle for comfort and convenience?