I WAS AT EASE.

Quite a few years ago I attended a conference where one of the speakers was a well known and remarkable African-American pastor named E.V. Hill.  He was a flamboyant, and gifted preacher who always had the audience on the edge of their seats.

On this particular occasion he was preaching about Job.  He recounted how he had gone on a search of scripture to discover Job's sin.  Not that Job brought calamity on himself because of sin; just that everyone has sin, so Job must have too.  After a lengthy and captivating introduction, he concluded that Job's sin was found in Job 16: 12, which begins with the words "I was at ease".  Job was living in "Uz", a land by all accounts populated by a very ungodly people.  Dr. Hill's point was that Job was surrounded by sin and immorality, and while he himself had not fallen into that sin, he was at ease.  He was unmoved and untroubled by the condition of the people around him.

I've thought about that message from time to time because I. like just about everyone I know, have a tendency to be "at ease" when it comes to my Christian life and my response to the world around me. I can be at ease about the fact that I am surrounded by people who are lost without Jesus. Apart from occasional twinges of disgust and dismay, I can be unmoved by the headlong rush of our society into the worst kinds of sin and immorality. And I can be generally complacent about the state of my own relationship with God and my spiritual development.

Sure, there are times when I'm moved and motivated, but far too often I am simply at ease. Is that where you're at?

As you're well aware by now, my role at The Mission is to help people in their spiritual growth, coming alongside the people of our church to encourage and coach them on their spiritual journey. It's a wonderful privilege to serve God and His people this way, and with God's help I intend to do the best job I am capable of.  Yet I've been aware from the first day I talked with Pastor Paul about this role that the biggest challenge is to help people have a "want to". Creating programs and aids is relatively easy. Motivating people to be concerned enough about their spiritual development that they are willing to invest themselves and their time is a much bigger challenge.  I know that because I also suffer from the Christian epidemic of being "at ease".

The fact is I can't motivate anyone to be more concerned about their spiritual growth.  That really has to come from within each person as the Holy Spirit prompts and urges them.  What I can do from time to time is encourage us all to take an honest look at ourselves, asking ourselves if we have fallen into the trap of being complacent about our spiritual lives.  Are you up for a little self assessment right now?

I am going to do everything I can this year to provide the means for the people of The Mission to grow in their relationship with God.  But whatever those things look like they will have no impact at all on you unless you have a "want to", a desire to grow in your Christian life.  Do you have that desire, or are you at ease?