At 300mph
Zephaniah 1:12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.’
Zephaniah was a prophet; he was bringing the word of judgement that was coming from the Lord on Judah. He was proclaiming that Israel must pay for their grievous sins against God; they had come to worship other Gods, and committed countless sins and forsaken Him. Zephaniah was preaching a call to repentance and return to their Lord. The good news was that some listened; their was a revival of faith, and we are told that under the king Josiah, Israel returned to their faith in the God that had told them they were His people, and had delivered them from slavery and performed countless miracles for them. Sadly God’s judgement was only delayed; Israel returned to their sinful ways and God passed judgement on them when Judah was overthrown.
In this scripture, Zephaniah speaks to those that sit ideally by; they believe in God, but don’t believe He will do anything; they believe He is inactive himself. The Bible commentary compares them to undisturbed wine; they are the sediment that falls to the bottom. Christ spoke directly to those that sit ideally in the book of Revelations, to the church of Laodecia. Rev. 3:15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Christ hates complacency; it is very clear that he either prefers you to not have the faith, or to be zealous in it. You are never to be stagnant in your faith; you are either pursing him or you are backsliding. Think of your faith as a down escalator that you are walking up. It takes a true effort to get to the top, but if your heart is zealous for God, you will keep seeking him. If you stop your pursuit, your travel away from him quickly.
My church small-group is starting the Radical study with David Platt. His teaching is core understanding of actively seeking God. His teaching is living our lives in that pursuit. His calls to discipleship are strong; he teaches that our love for God outweighs all others to the point that it looks as hate. I remember God opening my eyes in reading his book in that regard. If you truly come to know and understand who, and what, God is, and what he has done for you through his Son, your life will never be the same. You will never be able to sit ideally by and claim Christianity; you will be driven by a humble heart that desires to be closer to him every, single, day.
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