A Dangerous Complacency - 19

Accordingly, the real danger in any Christian life, and I mean the very real and serious danger in any Christin life, is complacency.  Do you believe that?  Perhaps you ask, "What do you mean using the word complacency?  Revelation 3:14-18 provides the answer in the message to the church in Laodicea.  What was the problem there?  Lukewarmness.  The problem of lukewarmness has faced the church throughout history, but is particularly true of today's church.

Revelation 3:14-18  "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God;  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:  I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor; and blind, and naked:  I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and whit raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see"

The problem that comes to every Christian along the way is not a lack of fruit-bearing.  Rather, when he finds himself feeling that he has borne a little fruit, felt a little of the love of God and the joy of salvation, has enjoyed a little experience and is feeling elevated about the whole thing, he settles down and remembers that experience the rest of his life.  He lives on it, and talks about it, but doesn't go any further.  And he accordingly misses the 'more fruit' element of being the branch.  But the capacity of the branch is tremendous, and the Husbandman comes along and begins to prune the branch in order to produce more fruit.

Have you experience this last paragraph?  I have and most Christians have.  To me it's a little scary that I can get into a condition of complacency and not really know it until I start to analyze my self and my condition.  It pays to sit back and look things over regarding ourselves.  We may see some things we are not proud of.  The time we have spent with God every day, and all day.  Of course we have to work and do many things but we should always be in the attitude of prayer so that we can reach out to God anytime and anywhere. Praying for more fruit is important too, and to be pruned so we may bear more fruit. Read Galatians 5:22,23  if you have forgotten what the fruit of the Spirit is.
May you be blessed every day as you read these little studies.  They may be small but they are huge when it comes to bearing fruit for the kingdom of heaven and winning souls to Christ through our fruit bearing.  Grandma Joan