I’m a pretty technically minded guy, and I like gadgets as much as the next person. But I just don’t seem willing or able to embrace the technology that has sprung up around cell phones. They make me feel positively old-fashioned. Maybe it’s just that when I hear the word phone, I assume that the primary purpose of the device is to allow me to make and receive calls. Somewhere along the way, however, cell phones manufacturers have reduced the telephone aspect of their product to one feature among many. My cheap cell phone allows you to use it as a camera, to play several games, to play videos and music and to send instant messages.
I call myself a purist, and insist that I buy a phone to use it as a phone, but in reality I’m just not that motivated to find out how all the bells and whistles work. I’m still too lazy to save people’s numbers in the address book. As for texting? Keith sent me a text message one day, and I struggled for five minutes to send him an answer. I’m sure I could get a lot more out of the phone if I’d apply myself to learning and using all of its features.
A lot of Christians respond the same way when it comes to God’s grace. They perceive grace as what saved them and that’s pretty much it. And just as I could get more out of my phone if I put any effort forth, the average Christian could have a much more rich experience of God’s grace if they understood it better and availed themselves of it.