What Do I Get Out of This?

Scripture:
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
— Romans 12:2

Reflection:
We live in a world that trains us to think like consumers long before we ever walk into a church. We compare, browse, upgrade, cancel, rank, and move on. We are constantly being shaped to ask one simple question: What am I getting out of this? Over time, that question can become so natural to us that we stop noticing it. Then one day we bring it right into worship, right into discipleship, right into our relationship with God.

That is part of what makes consumer Christianity so subtle. It does not usually feel rebellious. It feels normal. Of course we ask whether we liked the service, whether the music fit our style, whether the sermon held our attention, whether the experience felt worth our time. Those are ordinary questions in a consumer culture. But they are not the deepest Christian questions.

The deeper questions sound different. Did I worship God? Did I hear the truth? Did I offer myself to Christ? Did I encourage someone? Did I serve? Am I being formed into the likeness of Jesus? Perspective is everything, right? One set of questions puts me at the center. The other places Christ at the center and asks what he is doing in me.

Romans 12 reminds us that spiritual life always involves formation. We are either being conformed to the patterns of the world, or transformed by the renewing of our minds. That means part of discipleship is learning to notice where consumer habits have quietly made a home in us, and then letting the Spirit teach us a different way to live.

Application:
The next time you leave church, do not begin by asking whether you liked it. First ask, “How was Christ shaping me today?”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I confess that I have been shaped by a world that teaches me to think first about preference, comfort, and personal benefit. Renew my mind, re-center my heart, and teach me to come before you not as a customer, but as a disciple. Amen.

Song:Can’t Buy Me Love — The Beatles