Vending Machine Christianity

Jeremiah 44:18

But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

We live in a generation that wants everything to happen immediately. We expect every action to produce an immediate fruit, not understanding that that goes against the laws of nature itself. In nature itself, you have to plant, water, let it grow, then it will blossom, and finally it brings forth fruit. However, the fruit does not come immediately, but it must go through the fruit bearing seasons to before you can enjoy the fruit for which you want to enjoy.

This generation seems to have a vending machine Christianity. For years, I traveled as an evangelist, and often in the evenings, I went to the hotel vending machine, put in the money, and immediately got the candy bar I wanted—too many people want to treat the Christian life as that vending machine. Many people look at their Christian life and feel like they have put their spiritual coins into the vending machine, then get upset and want to quit because they didn't get the candy bar of results they wanted immediately.

This is the case of these people in the verse above. They said that they left burning incense to the queen of heaven and stopped pouring out drink offerings unto her, but they said that since they started doing this, they were consumed by the sword and by the famine. These people were upset with God because He didn't immediately stop the consequences caused from living decades in sin. They wanted God to take away the consequences that their sins caused immediately, when they had barely started doing right. Instead of looking at their situation as their own fault, they blamed God for not turning it around in their timeline.

I have watched many people get saved out of a life of drugs, alcohol, and immoral living, and expect God to stop all the consequences that the decades of sin have caused in their lives. They get saved and get involved for a short time, but because God doesn't immediately turn everything around, they get upset with God and quit church. I have watched believers who have come back after years of living in sin, and are living in the consequences of their sin, get upset at God because He did not turn their plight around immediately when they got right with God.

My friend, you have to realize that the Christian life is not a vending machine that gives you immediate results when you put your spiritual coins for doing right into it. You must realize that there is a season for everything. Just like you enjoyed your sin for a season and are now reaping the harvest of that season, so you must do the good works for a season before you start reaping the enjoyment for doing right.

You will only know the greatest joy that come from serving God when you serve Him for decades. The great joy does not come in a few months, but it comes in decades of service. I have been saved for over five decades, and I can tell you that the greatest reaping of good comes as I continue to serve God. Stop treating your Christian walk as a vending machine and realize you must serve God for years before you will realize the great joy that comes from doing right. If you will be patient with the Christian walk, you will find the joy that comes from serving God.