Settled in Complacency
God hates complacency. We can see that all through the Bible. Zephaniah warned the people of Jerusalem that the day was coming when God would search out and punish the complacent people in that city.(Zephaniah 1:12) I believe God does this all around the globe, and He especially hates for believers to become complacent.
Complacency is the state of being satisfied with the status quo. It causes people to think that things will not change, so they can do what they want. When a person is complacent about God, they do not think God will do good or evil. They think He is going to let them do whatever they want to do, in spite of His commands and laws. Complacency leads people to think they can get away with anything.
Then, when we are "settled in complacency," it is especially dangerous, because we have taught ourselves that complacency is the correct way to think and act. We do not feel urgency about anything, except to do what we want to do. We have no fear of consequences for our sins. We have no motivation to please the Lord.
Complacency kills witnessing and leads people away from holiness. A complacent person will never become more like Jesus. Complacency kills relationships of all kinds, because we think the relationships will stay strong, even if we do nothing, or even if we do the wrong things.
All of this is why God shatters complacency by His actions. He comes to punish this destructive attitude in such a convincing way that we could never stay complacent. We have to realize that God will do good and He will punish evil. He brings sickness, poverty, or broken relationships to jolt us back to reality. He shows us that life does require constant action and change to do the right things. He shows us that life needs to be lived with a sense of urgency every day.
Please, don't make God shake you out of complacency. Renounce it forever, and become a person with the drive to do whatever it takes to become like Jesus, never allowing yourself to think that you have completely arrived.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zephaniah 3, Haggai 1-2, and Zechariah 1.
Complacency is the state of being satisfied with the status quo. It causes people to think that things will not change, so they can do what they want. When a person is complacent about God, they do not think God will do good or evil. They think He is going to let them do whatever they want to do, in spite of His commands and laws. Complacency leads people to think they can get away with anything.
Then, when we are "settled in complacency," it is especially dangerous, because we have taught ourselves that complacency is the correct way to think and act. We do not feel urgency about anything, except to do what we want to do. We have no fear of consequences for our sins. We have no motivation to please the Lord.
Complacency kills witnessing and leads people away from holiness. A complacent person will never become more like Jesus. Complacency kills relationships of all kinds, because we think the relationships will stay strong, even if we do nothing, or even if we do the wrong things.
All of this is why God shatters complacency by His actions. He comes to punish this destructive attitude in such a convincing way that we could never stay complacent. We have to realize that God will do good and He will punish evil. He brings sickness, poverty, or broken relationships to jolt us back to reality. He shows us that life does require constant action and change to do the right things. He shows us that life needs to be lived with a sense of urgency every day.
Please, don't make God shake you out of complacency. Renounce it forever, and become a person with the drive to do whatever it takes to become like Jesus, never allowing yourself to think that you have completely arrived.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zephaniah 3, Haggai 1-2, and Zechariah 1.