Eyes That Never See; Ears That Never Hear - from On the Anvil by Max Lucado

He's a deadly snake. Mark my words. Satan's snake. Be on your guard.

He's sly and wily. He lurks in eery dark corner and musty hole. He strikes with abandon. The old, the rich, the poor, the young --- all are his prey. He worms his way into every life and seldom misses his target.

And what slyness! We never know when he will strike. When he will creep up, we never know. All we see are the results of his deadly bite: blank faces, nonreflective hearts, questionless minds, empty lives. A trail cluttered with broken hearts and tears.

Who is this snake? Greed? Lust? Egotism? No (even though they are just as deadly). No, I'm unmasking the vilest of hell's vipers --- complacence.

We live in a world plagued by complacence.

We're complacent to hope. Many people settle for a stale,vanilla lifestyle that peaks at age seventeen. Hope? What's to hpe for? Life is a paycheck and a weekend. Nothing more. You'd think we all had blinders. It's like one car after another driving off a cliff, no one daring to object. ike watercolor names painted on a sidewalk...washing away in an August rain.

We're complacent to death. Masked faces at funeral endure the procession; weep at the burial; and then, a few hours later, giggle at the television comic. "The only way to handle death is to accept it as inevitable. Don't question it or defy it. You'll walk away depressed. Close your eyes. Put your hands over your ears. There is no explanation". We stand complacent.

We're complacent to God. Churchgoers pack the pews and sing to the back of someone's head. Fellowship is lost in formality. One, two, three times a week people pay their dues by walking in the door, enduring a ritual, and walking out. Guilt is appeased. God is insulted. Are we so naive as to think that he needs our attendance? Are we so ignorant that we put God in a box, thinking he can be taken in and out at our convenience?

We're complacent to purpose. How in the world can a person be born, be educated, fall in or out of love, ahve a job, be married, give birth, raise kids, see death, cry, scream, giggle, drink, eat, smoke, climb up or down the ladder, retire, and die without ever, ever asking why? Never asking "Why am I here?" Or worse yet, asking why and being content with no answer. History is jam-packed with lives that died with no purpose. Neighborhoods reek with mediocrity. Office complexes are painted gray with boredom. Nine-to-fivers are hypnotized by routine. But does anyone object? Does anyone defy the machinery? Does anyone ask why?

Sometimes I want to stand at the corner of the street and yell, "Doesn't anyone want to know why? Why lonely evenings? Why broken hearts? Why abandoned marriages? Why fatherless babies?" But I never yell it. I just stick my hands in my pockets and stare...and wonder.

The most deadly trick of Satan is not to rob us of answers. It's to steal our questions.
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At the end of the chapter is a guide question, "What is the difference between contentment and complacency?"

Personally, complacency for me brings to mind idleness and/or lack of motivation/inspiration...state of being satisfied at the current situation because of simply wanting to do nothing more. When I read this chapter, it strikes me that Satan doesn't want us to challenge and to analyze , thus he "steals our questions". He suggests lies such as "I'm not harming anybody so it's okay this way". But if we stay "this way", we stagnate. Satan can twist complacency in many ways to make it look like contentment.

Complacency in God is being "lukewarm" in faith. God warns us of this in Revelations 3:15-16, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm --- neither hot nor cold --- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

On the other hand, contentment is exemplified clearly by no other than the apostle Paul when he shared that he had learned the "secret" of being content in any and every situation...he can do all things through Christ who gives him strength (Philippians 4:11-13). His contentment is in Christ --- in his promises, in his power, and in his faithfulness. Paul's contentment did not STOP him from doing God's work. Instead he kept running the race. He kept pressing on toward the goal (Philippians 3:14).

Contentment therefore, is also not an excuse to stop. Instead, contentment should urge us to continue, knowing that the Source of our strength cannot be exhausted. Let us share this "secret" to everyone. God bless!

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

On the Anvil by Max Lucado: No more Curtain

Sidenote (first):
I just finished reading the book, On the Anvil, by Max Lucado, yesterday. I bought this at MV Doulos last March 28, together with two other books and a Hillsong album (United we Stand). As always, Max Lucado's books are easy to read and 'relatable' because of the way the writings are presented in illustrations you could picture out as you read along. He uses simple words creatively to animate your thoughts. His works are not just written, it's communicated .

I just want to share this short chapter on the book, in time for this season. (Will probably share another chapter in my next post.)
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Chapter 22: NO MORE CURTAIN!

The annual event always drew a crowd. The priest would solemnly ascend the temple steps, bearing the blood of the sacrifice. As the people waited outside, he would pass through the great curtain and enter the Holy of Holies. He would sprinkle the mercy seat above the ark and pray that the blood would appease God. The sins would be rolled back. And the people would sigh with relief.

A great curtain hung as a reminder of the distance between God and man. It was like a deep chasm that no one could bridge. Man on his island...quarantined because of sin.

God could have left it like that. He could have left the people isolated. He could have washed his hands of the whole mess. He could have turned back, tossed in the towel, and started over to another planet. He could have, you know.

But he didn't.

God himself bridged the chasm. In the darkness of an eclipsed sun, he and a lamb stood in the Holy of Holies. He laid the lamb on the alstar. Not the lamb of a priest or a Jew or a shepherd but the Lamb of God. The angels hushed as the blood of the Sufficient Sacrifice began to fall on the golden altar. Where had dropped the blood of lambs, now dripped the blood of life.

"Behold the Lamb of God."

And then it happened. God turned and looked one last time at the curtain.

"No more." And it was torn...from top to bottom. Ripped in two.

"No more!"

"No more curtain!"

"No more sacrifices!"

"No more separation!"

And the sun came out.

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At the moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom...Matthew 27:51 (NIV)

In Moses' time, the blood of the lamb was used to mark the houses of the Israelites so they will be spared of the destructive plague on Egypt (The passover - Exodus 12). In the same way, the blood of the Lamb of God will spare us from the judgment of God when he comes...IF we only believe and have faith that Jesus died in our place on the cross, and on the third day he rose from the dead and taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God...to believe that when Jesus died on the cross, our sins died with him...to understand that no other sacrifice is acceptable to God, except the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus. Through Jesus, we can have our relationship with God and be part of his family.

You just have to come to Jesus and believe in him and what he's done with all your heart. Accept him as your personal Lord and Savior. Humbly come to him as you are --- sinful and unworthy, weary, broken & lonely. Jesus will lovingly welcome you into his arms.