"Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to his People. He waits to be wanted." - A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God.
When you step into Church on Sunday morning, are you excited to worship? I have noticed in numerous congregations in the United States that there is often a lack of enthusiasm for corporate worship. Even in congregations full of vibrant testimonies there may be few who really get excited for the opportunity to sing praise to the King. It is not that they do not feel Worship is good, nor that Worship is unimportant, but rather the worshiper wears a great sense of complacency in the "task" of worship. The desire to praise God is there, just not the desire to work at it.
How is it that we have the opportunity to have the most amazing eternal life, an eternal relationship with the all powerful king and creator of all that we are, yet we are riddled with complacency toward worshiping and connecting with Him?
Upon reading this passage in Tozer's The Pursuit of God, my mind pondered if the problem stemmed not only from what we are doing on Sunday morning but rather what we are neglecting throughout each week.
Are you today, feeling like so many others who are complacent your spiritual life? Have you found it more and more difficult to set aside time with Jesus, reading the Word and talking to Him in prayer? Has a busy schedule take the joy from your time with God and replaced it with momentary acknowledgements of His presence?
This is a growing epidemic in the World of the American Church. Since we are "too busy" for an authentic personal relationship with Christ, we often look for a "fix." It's not hard to find a book, or sermon online, from some prosperity gospel preacher or Christian sounding author selling the idea that God exists to bless us without any expectation of obedience on our part. This message conveniently looses any mention of repentance, so the core focus is allowed to be on personal affirmation, prosperity, or whatever else you might feel you are lacking. There are countless people willing to tell you whatever tickles your ears about God provided you buy the book or send the check.
While this might sound like the quick fix, and we love a quick fix in this a "fast food society", the results of this fix are always empty and disappointing. This leads to frustration and complacency. The non-biblical expectations we place on God are often not realized because in our quest for His blessing our plans, we miss out on a relationship with the one who blesses.
God does have incredible blessings in store for all who seek him (Mt. 7:7-8, Lk 12:31), but this seeking is never an act of a complacent spirit. The heart which seeks after God, thirsting for His presence and companionship, has much reward ahead of them including the steps taken each day with Jesus. Another of the great rewards is the coming together each week with our brothers and sisters in Christ, following a week of walking with Jesus in prayer and personal communion, pouring out our passionate praise in united chorus! When God's people lay down their complacency in exchange for the urgent desire to commune with God in Worship, both personally and corporately, our King will not need to wait to be wanted! Our passionate praise and thankful cries will testify to God's desired call from the Church... the call to grow spiritually with Jesus!
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