Blog

Apr 15, 2025 06:00am

The Cost of Convenience

140 Views

I’m a hamburger helper kid. It’s true. This is what we grew up on. It’s what we learned to cook. Hey, “it makes a great meal”! This is what we would consider a home-cooked meal when we were kids, and as we grew into adulthood, it’s what we cooked too.

I remember attending my first potluck at Herman Baptist Church. There on the counter was real fried chicken, not just KFC. There were homemade purple hull peas, not like the kind you find in a can. In another bowl, you found the real chicken and dumplings. And another tray was filled with homemade eggrolls. Casserole dishes as far as the eye could see were brimming with delicious concoctions that had been passed down through generations. I knew my hamburger helper didn’t stand a chance.

Many of those women who poured over a hot stove and whipped up those dishes are now gone. And with some of them, the recipes and art of cooking are gone with them.

It’s a dying art form, real home cooking. That’s the cost of convenience. Over the years, we’ve gotten busier, taking on new jobs, new roles, and more activities. We don’t have time for big meals or even to cook at all some nights. And when grandma made her famous fried pies, we were too busy or uninterested to stop and learn. People no longer get together for quilting parties, learn embroidery by hand, or bake for the week. That’s where it ends. Instead, we run through a drive-thru, grab some snacks at a convenience store, or pick up ready-made meals from the grocery pickup.

Romans 15:1-6
“We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves.
2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.
3 For even Christ didn’t live to please Himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult You, O God, have fallen on Me.”[a]
4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The believers in the Roman church were as diverse as they came. Some were Jews and others gentiles. Some were rich while others were poor. Different ranks in society, jobs, and interests. But together, they were the church – the body of Christ. Paul encouraged the “stronger” believers to pour into the “weaker” ones. They were to encourage them in their faith, build them up by teaching them the truth about Christ, and be an example to them on how to follow the Lord – just as they had been shown.

And just like it does with us today, their personal desires and selfishness got in the way. They were full of excuses – they had other things to do, they didn’t have time to invest in these new believers, and they didn’t want to associate with some because of who or what they were.

Paul urged them to remember our mission from Christ – to go and make disciples. That it was their job to take what they knew and invest in another. They were to put off their own pleasures and use their time, effort, and talent to build up these new believers.

It hasn’t changed, you know. Christ’s mission is still the same as it was 2000 years ago. Go, share the good news of Jesus, teach people how to follow Jesus and love them as you would yourself.

We are either obeying Christ or we aren’t. There’s really no middle ground here. If you are a Christian, a believer in Jesus, then we made our choice when we surrendered our life to Christ. He is our Lord, we do as He has commanded. We honor and glorify Him by taking what we know and pouring it into another.

If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior and put your faith and trust in Him, today is the day. I’d love to teach you what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Christ.

If you have made that decision, have you been taught? Have you been discipled? I’d love to show you what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Christ and how to share it with someone else.

Go to follow.lifeword.org. Learn who Jesus is, what it means to be transformed by Him, and what it means to be on mission with Him. And pray for the Lord to show you who you should be investing in.

Yes, it takes time and effort, but what could be more important?

Don’t let the gospel fail to be spoken and shared. It’s our responsibility.