I May Be Complacent - But I Don't Really Care Series

I May Be Complacent - But I Don't Really Care

There was a Canada goose flying across the farmland of Kansas on a fall day. For whatever reason it had gotten separated from the rest of its flock. But as the goose flew it spied the pond of Farmer Jones. Farmer Jones had Toulouse geese in his pond. If you know anything about Toulouse geese – they are a heavy bread – so heavy that they don’t really fly. The Canada goose – even though it was a different shape and color then the other geese on the pond soon found that it was soon accepted and became part of the flock. He stayed for a day, then a week, then a month, and then it turned into the entire winter. Farmer Jones was married to a kind and gentle wife. Every day she would take a bucket of cracked corn out to the pond and would feed the geese. The Canada goose enjoyed the lifestyle.

Finally spring was approaching and the wild geese were flying north again. The goose looked up – he could hear the honks of geese flying by and he was stirred with a strange thrill to join his old comrades in flight. But try as he might he could not get off the ground. He had become so soft and heavy that he could not rise to be with his old friends and family. So he went back to the pond again and said to himself, “Oh, well, my life is safe here and the food is good.” But from then on - every fall and every spring when he heard the wild geese honking overhead, his eyes would gleam for a moment and he would flap his wings. He did this for many years - but each year it got less and less, until one day he paid no attention to them at all.

The moral of the story is that over time one can become satisfied with the way things are and complacent with the way things ought to be. The soul can forget its high standards and ideals and be content with living with lower things.

The greatest danger to a believer in Jesus – is to become content with lower standards than what God wants for you and I to live. The danger is to become half hearted in living the Christian life.

Complacency and Indifference are real dangers.

Listen to the Wisdom of Solomon:

“For the waywardness of the naïve shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them.” Proverbs 1:32 NASB

Let me give you two symptoms of complacency:

1. SATISFACTION with the way things are.

2. REJECTION of things as they might be.

Look at Revelation 3:14-16

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:14-16 NASB

The middle ground is actually the lowest ground. Do you see that? Jesus says I would rather have you hot or cold - but I can’t stand lukewarm. I would rather have you love or hate - but I can’t stand indifference. I would rather have you alive or dead - but don't try to live as the walking dead. You see, Jesus hates the middle ground. Look again at what the verse says. He is saying I would rather have you too – hot or cold – I hate lukewarm. I would rather have you love or hate – I despise indifference.

The truth is – the middle ground is the lowest ground.

For a long time I did not understand Romans 9:13. It seemed rather harsh to me – but not when you take it in the context of compliancy and indifference. When you take it in this context it becomes alive. Do you know what Romans 9:13 says? It says:

"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Romans 9:13 (NASB)

This is God speaking. God says He loved Jacob but when it comes to Esau – He says he hated him. Why? What’s the reason? You have to go back into Genesis to find the answer. The answer is found in last part Genesis 25. Let me tell you the story.

You see Abraham had a son whose name was Isaac. Isaac was a good son and when he turned 40 he married Rebekah. Rebekah was not able to have children but Isaac prayer for her and God heard his prayer. Rebekah became pregnant which is good news, but she felt that something was going on inside her womb. So Rebekah went and prayed to the Lord and He told her that she had twins inside her womb. God said,