Complacency

Shall we stir the waters today? Let us go deeper in Him.

 The thing I have found the hardest to conquer in my 33 years as a Christian has been "complacency".  When you look the word up in the dictionary (which I did) it doesn't sound so bad. The definition reads, "a feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction." Well one wouldn't think that is a horrible discretion, I mean aren't we meant to think highly of ourselves and to have good self-esteem?. But it is a sneaky snake in the Eden of humility.  Humility is what births holiness and holiness is what keeps complacency at bay!  I am not talking about the holiness that is many times displayed on the Christian Network as opening your wallet for a sizable contribution so your family member can be saved. And yes this happens, for real! What I am talking about is a deep core holiness, in the center of who you are. It's an acknowledgement of God that includes all parts of you and surrenders every particle of your being!

So let me describe to you the common scenario that takes place when dealing with complacency. Let's say you have a decent job; you like "Bob" who is your boss and has been for the last 10 years.  Your job is boring but not terribly stressful.  You have a few friends that you meet up with on Friday night, Red Robin is the common hang out, and around them, laughter is not hard to come by.  Your children are almost grown, they are still present in your home (you can tell by the almost always empty fridge) but they pretty much have lives of their own. You go to church every Sunday, and heck you even throw in an occasional Wednesday, now and then. Ah yes!  Life is good! But is it?

 You have noticed in previous nights you have awakened at exactly 4:53am but decided it must be heartburn, though there was no evidence of belching. At work you finish the daily grind early and there is a gnawing at your heart to read the Bible but instead you decide to check out the latest celebrity shoe blog and get a candy bar from the vending machine. Your best friend calls and invites you to a Christian conference but you decline due to the fact you have met your quota for church this week. What is happening?  Slowly, bit by bit, you are losing your relationship with Jesus. A slow avoidance of solid communication with Jesus results in the habit of doing things on your own. Doing things on your own creates pride and pride produces a heart that is unprepared when trials hit.

Humility is key to becoming exactly what God called us to be.  We can never become satisfied with where we are at and expect to be fulfilled spiritually.  There is an earnest hunger in us to feed our spirit. As we do this the more constant the drive and desire for pure revelation will be.

It is important we avoid "stagnancy", coming to a comfortable place in our walk and staying there. If you take this stance in life, you will only travel half the journey. You will have no reference to information needed to kill future giants. Life's storms hit and you find yourself spiritually paralyzed.

 The word talks about those who are unprepared.  In Luke 12:47 it says,
"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows."

 1Thessalonians 5:6 states, " So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled."

If we go moseying along in life, only seeking God when we have an occasional crisis; we fail to become what God desires of  us.  We need to be of the utmost use for His kingdom.  We must remember our greater purpose for being here is to be a light in a dark world.  Our light will shine brightly as humility is weaved into the fiber of our human hearts.

 In  the book of James verse 4:10 (NIV) it states, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." So you see,  God will lift us up. We do not need to seek the deceiving monotony of a relaxed life to receive peace. We must give our whole heart to God on a daily basis.  We must remember why we live and for whom.  If we walk in the understanding that the Lord's will for our life, is the best life lived; everyday becomes an adventure and wisdom becomes our best friend.

 NEXT BLOG: Humility, How do I Get it? Do I really want it?