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,
"Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger."
Well Esau was born first - he was red and he was hairy. He became a man of the field and a skillful hunter.
Jacob on the other hand was kind of a homebody. He was a peaceful man and he enjoyed the comforts of living in a tent.
Now the time came when Esau became very hungry and he knew that Jacob had made a pot stew. So Esau went to Jacob and said:
"Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am starving to death."
Jacob was kind of crafty and he says to Esau:
"First let's make a deal. Why don't you sell me your birthright."
Esau says:
"What good is the birthright to me if I am going to die anyway. Sure I'll sell it to you for a bowl of stew."
And that is what Esau did - he sold his birthright to Jacob. And the scripture says:
"Thus Esau despised his birthright." Genesis 25:34 (NASB)
Allow me to put this in a little better context. If you were to receive a grand inheritance - what would you sell it for? Would you give it away? Would you consider it of very little value? Would you sell it for a bag of potato chips and a bottle of pop? Would the satisfaction of the moment outweigh the promise of the future? Would you despise what has been promised to you?
You see, Esau was indifferent about his birthright – he was complacent about God’s will for his life. He was born the first son in line of promise – an heir to the promises of God. You see he was born for a purpose. God had a plan for his life. Yet he sold the promise for a bowl of stew. Is it any wonder that God says:
"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Romans 9:13 (NASB)
But guess what? God has a purpose for your life. God has a plan for your life. God wants to bless your life. And my question today is: How are you treating the promises of God? Am I complacent about them? Am I indifferent about what God wants for me? Has my heart become so cold that it is frozen? Have I become one of the frozen chosen? Lord send your fire and thaw us out! Let your fire of love burn within us.
There are people in this world that God wants to touch – and you know what – you are the only one who can touch them. How are you treating your birthright? How are you treating your inheritance? How are you treating your genealogy? How are you treating your family name?
You are a child of God - you are a chosen generation - you are a child of promise and we need know that we are heirs to God's throne. Look at what Galatians tells us:
"Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:7 (NASB)
Have you ever wondered why those who are close to you can irritate you the most? Have you ever wondered why? Joe Blow down the street doesn’t irritate you as much as your spouse does or your children do. Joe Blow can do the most irritating things and it doesn’t bother you – but your spouse or your child or your best friend can say the slightest thing and it sets you off. Why is that? I can tell you why. Because you are not complacent about your spouse. You are not indifferent about your child. You are concerned about your family. You are concerned about your best friend. Folks shouldn’t we be concerned about the things of God? Shouldn’t we have a passion for the things that God has a passion for? Shouldn’t we love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates. If we don’t – we are indifferent.
Jesus said,
'YOU SHALL LOVE THE Lord YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' Matthew 22:37 (NASB)
Love in not indifferent. Love is not complacent. You are to love God with how much of your heart – how much of your soul – how much of your mind? All of it. Every last bit of it. God does not want you to be a fence sitter. He does not want you complacent or indifferent about His will for your life – He wants you to have a passion for the things He has passion for. Where are you in your Christian walk today? Where do you stand? Are you just trying to get by? Are you just being comfortable?
Imagine if you can if Jesus was complacent and indifferent. We would have no salvation – because Jesus was not complacent about you – Jesus was not indifferent about your salvation – we have a savior who loves you – we have a savior who went to the cross with passion. He did not choose the middle grown - in fact he hates the middle ground. Seek the Lord with all your strength. Seek the Lord with all your might. Seek the Lord today.
(This is a reworking of a sermon I did several years ago titled: How to Deal with Complacency)
