A.W. Tozer stated in the late 1940’s that we live in a world “of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing heart.” It’s incredible that Tozer made this observation before social media, iPhones, overachieving schedules, and Netflix. Whether we want to admit it or not, we often have a reliance for the things of this world – so much so that our roots deeply grow down in to these things and they become who we are.
However, 1 John 2:15-16 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world – the lust of flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world.”
It can be difficult to separate from our “nervous activities” because, often times, they bring us fleeting comfort during times of anxiousness, loneliness, or boredom. But Tozer also insightfully reminds us that “God can, without anything other than himself, meet and overflow the deepest demands of our total nature.”
So don’t try to satisfy your longing heart with the many nervous activities available to you, but let your roots grow down in to Christ; “let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7). [A.W. Tozer quotes taken from the book The Pursuit of God]