Pickle Barrel is one of the places we like to eat at. The trouble with Pickle Barrel is the size of the menu - it's a thick as a bridal magazine - with choice upon choice.
Jesus doesn't offer us a menu for life. He doesn't offer a range of spiritual options. He doesn't say select your favourite from this list. And yet, isn't that what many people do. We want to select from a spiritual menu. We want God on our terms and inside our comfort zones. We will follow Him as long as we can determine the way, the direction and the sacrifices.
God is not out to spoil your fun. His way is full of joy. He leads us on a journey full of life. But we are always followers. We don’t take the lead. That’s why we don’t have the option of deciding when we want to pray and when we don’t; when we want to worship and when we'd rather not; or when we want to care about others and when we want to be rude. We are called to serve God full-time - to be his disciples. Check out Luke 17:7-10.