It might be difficult to imagine that hundreds of years ago people thought they had reached the height of technology. Each generation boasts of their human accomplishments: the creation of gears in Ancient China, tin extraction in Asia, the papyrus in Egypt. The list is exhaustive. Glass was first created in Egypt; the Phoenician alphabet and a water clock in the Middle East. Americans introduced similar wonders with steam engines, the telegraph, Whitney’s cotton gin, the Morse code…the list goes on.
Civilizations reached new heights of convenience and productivity. Each believing they had touched utopia. However, with each new invention, people moved farther from God. Our modern conveniences have made us less dependent on God and more secure in self.
The template prayer has been widely disregarded, “Lord, give us this day our daily bread.” There is little need to pray for such a thing. World statistics say that the poor in America are rich compared to the rest of the world. American people in poverty have smart phones and basic cable. While millions in India pick their food from waste sites, Americans can access food-banks in every city. Most of us are far from those thoughts.
Of the seven churches in Asia, God had a major problem with the Laodiceans: God said, Revelation 3:17 “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:”
He said, “You think you are sufficient because of the material assets you possess when in reality you are pitiful. You think you have it all together, when in light of eternity and your spiritual state you are like a blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.”
I ask, “Do you have need of nothing?” Could it be that our gain has led us away from our need for God? We have heart transplants; gene therapy; floating gardens; 5G capability; cures via cell migration… incredible. Who needs to pray? Does anyone even need God? Maybe that’s why prayer rooms are meager and fellowship nights are full. Maybe that’s why we resist words like sacrifice, serving, and suffering. They just don’t mesh with our modern version of Christianity. Sunday morning religion is in abundance, but what about the evening sacrifice or a mid-week Bible study? It’s hard to find time for church when there are so many other options. We have enough of God to appease our conscience, but not enough to be convicted and committed.
I offer you the axiom of truth: Until you need Him, you won’t find Him. Nevertheless, as long as there are other priorities in your life, God and worship will be just one more obligation to mark off at the end of the week.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole