Complacency

 We have been told so many times to be content..well this can be a very freeing thing, true! But if our contentment comes in the form of complacency we have gravely missed the point. Sometimes we strive for a place of contentment and in the process stop growing, stop learning stop disciplining ourselves toward becoming more like Christ. We enjoy the moment, we are ok with who we are, we don't long for more stuff or we don't long for more than what we need...these things in themselves can be great but if you have stopped the growing process, if your roots have stopped breaking through the hard soil of christian life you are missing out.  We are exhorted many times in the scriptures to continue to grow in our spiritual walk with Christ, to discipline ourselves to become more like him in every way, to grow from and infant like state desiring only milk to a more matured state desiring the meat also (Heb5:14-14). If you have received Christ as your Lord and have made a commitment to follow him but still only read your bible and pray as an infant in the word not absorbing the nutrient density of the words you read or don't see the scriptures as alive and powerful able to divide soul and spirit(Heb 4:12). If you are still just going to church and relying on your pastor to be the one who fills you up for the week and do not allow yourself to be changed by the word on a daily basis..oh how you are missing out my dear sister, and brother! So how, how do we move into this more disciplined life where we are growing, feeding on his word, creating a life that is content but not complacent. A life that is more about selflessness and full of servant-hood to Christ himself.


*Go to church *read your bible *pray *fellowship...these are the basics, but you could live your whole Christian life on these and hardly grow.

Well here are a few ways to move from complacency to flourishing:

1. Dig into his word with new eyes. Growing means seeing the word as alive, not just the same old passages you have always read. This takes time..you need to set aside time to read quietly to decipher what you are reading. Read with a humble heart and a willingness to grow in your understanding of it.

2. Read the word contextually. We have come to believe for years that we can read the bible for some magical insight that we will live on for days..don't get me wrong God DOES speak through his word in beautiful ways through his holy spirit directly to your heart. BUT sometimes we read the word only for an experience and not to understand more of Jesus, to learn the scriptures in context, to understand how and what the authors were saying. How many time have you heard a scripture quoted out of context..sooo many! We can do the same thing in our scripture reading. The scriptures are words of  truth relevant for all generations. If we read them as a horoscope instead of a God inspired study guide we will not grow in understanding, we will be a generation looking for signs and wonders.

3. Fellowship. Find Christians to talk to, people in your church or your community who know the scriptures well and can help you understand them better. Fellowship is about gathering to talk about Jesus, his word, what he is doing in your life and how he is changing us and the world. Fellowship is not to get together to be social. You can be social with anyone christian or not. Socializing is not our ultimate goal, though it is nice, fellowship is our goal and it only happens among believers!

4.Practice the spiritual disciplines:
  ~Deeper prayer
  ~Reading the scriptures for growth
  ~Quietness before the Lord
  ~Worship(not just public worship with the body but private worship also)
  ~Fasting 
  ~Journaling
  ~Servitude
 There are so many wonderful books written on the spiritual disciplines i will share a few below.

5.Obedience. So in those times of quietness, prayer and solitude, God will speak. When he does there will be a call to action and obedience. This is where your life is moved from not just being a christian but living out Christ likeness in your life. Living with the knowledge that the kingdom is here now and we need to be active participants in engaging with it, bringing others into it and showing  people what it looks like to be part of the greater picture.

6.Set yourselves apart. This one can be tricky, to set ourselves apart means to be different from this world. Not to hide in our homes to stay away from the world, on the contrary, we are to be light to this world. Like a city built on top of a hill, seen by all. Oh that we would not lose our saltiness dear brothers and sisters but that we would CHOOSE to be the salt of the earth!(Math5:13-14) That we would not crave the things of this world, materialism, lust, greed, selfish gain and ambition. But that we would be selflessly pushing into Christ, longing to be transformed more and more into his likeness. 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve whats Gods will is, his good pleasing and perfect will. Rom 12:2

Go now and push in! If your not pushing in, you are stagnate or moving away and I would pray you would long for nothing less than to push HARD into Christ. Longing for his return with your lamps full of oil and your soul hard at work building the Kingdom for his glory alone!!! 

With words of truth and mountains of grace,
Abigail


Books on spiritual discipline:
Celebration of Discipline
by Richard Foster
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060628391?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_9&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life 
by Donald Whitney
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1576830276?keywords=spiritual%20disciplines&qid=1445722304&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5 

The Spirit of Disciplines: How God Changes Lives
by Dallas Willard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060694424?keywords=spiritual%20disciplines&qid=1445722304&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4