There are many things in this life that we can categorize as casual: a comfortable T-shirt and a pair of jeans; a business meeting at a coffee shop; an optional homework assignment; a walk in the park; running errands on a Saturday. These things are casual - relaxed and informal.
But one thing that is not casual is your relationship with God and thus should never be treated as if it is. Hear me out. This relationship is so much more than we perceive it to be. How we treat the God who gave us life (and keeps on giving) should not be casual in any sense of the word.
He is our Creator. He built us from nothing and breathed life into us. He loved us when we had nothing worth loving. We were broken, hopeless sinners with nothing to offer. Even still, He gave us everything. That being said, the idea that living for God is just casual couldn't be farther from the truth. All we can do to repay what He's done for us is to give God His breath back - to use the life He gave us to honor Him.
Another definition for casual is "done without sufficient care or thoroughness." Is that what your relationship with God looks like? If so, that's a huge problem. God loves us and values us so much - so much He would leave 99 sheep to just save one of them (Luke 15: 1-7). Are we to repay that "without sufficient care or thoroughness?" With a casual, come-to-you-only-when-I-need-you attitude? I hope not.
I mean, what if Jesus died for us "without sufficient care or thoroughness"? Answer: He couldn't have. It was the love He has for us that kept Him on the cross, for if He did not fervently love us, He wouldn't have had enough reason to endure what He did. Even if He could have, the Bible is clear that actions done without love are always done in vain (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3).
Additionally, I don't believe Christ could have saved us "without thoroughness" either. Without thoroughness, without a plan or the support of His father, Christ may have died just as any man would - a death that could save no man. Death, but no resurrection - without thoroughness. Christ's sacrifice simply would not have been possible if He treated men as casually as they treat Him.
To be honest, I'm just tired of the casual Christianity sweeping through our society. A relationship with God has become so unimportant to us. We have no commitment, treating God like a high school relationship that is always on and off again.
And if you're reading this article thinking, 'yeah, this isn't about me,' think again. It's about all of us, me included. With the busy schedules we have within a world that is often a lot more intriguing than eternity, we tend to casually live for God. We are intrigued by His goodness, but create distance when we are required to make a sacrifice.
We'll come to God for His protection, encouraging scripture and unexplainable miracles, though we won't give up our lust, time or the plan we made for our lives. This is what a casual relationship with God looks like - God is kind of important, but still not more important than the things we want.
The result is that the world has absolutely no clue what a relationship with God is really like. The problem is that what they think is good about Christianity, (the free will to do whatever you want while God blesses you), is not true. Real Christianity preaches a different message.
They have no clue. And, what they hate about Christianity, the "list of rules" and hypocrisy, is wrong as well. Once again, real Christianity is not like this. But we haven't showed them anything different. And that is just horrific to me, that in a world full of Christians, most of the world has no clue what we're actually about. That is a problem.
The purpose of this article is not to call you out, but rather, to wake you up. And I'm right there with you in the dog house of treating God too casually. So together, let's show the world the truth. Let's unveil 'popular' Christianity and introduce a genuine, fervent relationship with God.
There is simply no place for apathy within the walls of the unconditional love given to us by Our God. No more excuses; it's time for causality to go out of style.
