A Holiday at the Sea

A post by mel prompted me to think. An excerpt from Andrew Murray got me thinking:

"The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing. And that is because there is so little enthusiasm for the King"

Why is there no enthusiasm for the King? Can we really face ourselves as a Christian church/community and admit to the fact that we've lost the apple of our eye? We often say and do things to spur each other to focus on Christ, but what does it really mean? Looking at my own life, I can say that I often settle for mediocrity instead of taking the high road that was meant for me. But the question comes around again, Why?

JP compares our plight as a child who chooses to play in the slums, when we are offered a holiday at the sea. To put it more in our terms, it's like being offered an all-expense paid vacation to Hawaii, and instead choosing to play in a junkyard. I think the question really isn't our choice, the question is whether we are actually informed when are making the decision. And I submit that we are not. This is not at all an excuse for not being excited for the King, but I think it plays in as a big factor of why we settle for mediocrity.

The simple fact is that many times we simply don't KNOW who God is, and who we are in relation to Him. In some sense it's like the child in the slums; he has no idea what a holiday at sea is, and the wonderful things that come from it. If anything, he merely knows that it may be wonderful. Without giving it a chance, the child will never experience the wonders and beauty that is the sea.

The same goes with us, though often I think it is more because we seem to have a really short memory. Looking throughout the old testament, we can see that Israel repeatedly runs away from God in spite of the way that He miraculously takes care of them. In the same way, we forget easily how God has changed our lives, and who He is. Without constantly reminding ourselves who God is, and without being captivated by him daily, we quickly forget.

So back to the point where I said that we aren't informed. This is quasi-true, but the crux of the matter lies in the the fact that we simply forget who God is. And without refreshing ourselves daily in His presence, it is easy to lose sight of who He is and that complete joy is found in Him.

Without coming to Him in constant prayer, devotion, relationship, we are almost guaranteed to quickly forget. Finally, though obvious, I would submit that the North American church has come and stood in awe at the foot of the world. Of fame, power, money; everything that the early church fought so hard to avoid. It is easy to see how coming before substitute idols made with the hollow charm of the world reduces our appetite for the word, and wastes the true worshippers that we were created to be. Our worship 'sapped', so to speak, by the things of this world. It is no wonder that when God asked for us, He asked for all of us; knowing that if we let but a sliver of ourselves to the world, that we could be easily consumed.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:5