Complacency

Hey! It’s been a while but I’m back with another word. My first series discussed the journey towards purpose. But moving forward, the content that will be posted might be sporadic but intentional. My intent is to post when I feel led by the Spirit to do so, hence this current post.

Let’s talk complacency. When I thought about complacency in the past, I used to think about comfort and when I think about comfort, I think that’s not such a bad thing. But when has God ever called His people to do something that was comfortable. He promises to comfort us and to be our refuge but NEVER for us to stay within our comfort zone. In Luke 19, we are introduced to man by the name of Zacchaeus, who is on a personal journey to see Jesus. So, when he hears that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, he jumps at the chance to see Him. He literally climbs a tree in order to catch just a glimpse of Him. Jesus looks up, calls Zacchaeus down from the sycamore tree and tells him that He desires to stay at his house as a guest. Hmm.. interesting that Jesus desires to stay at Zacchaeus’s house only AFTER Zacchaeus desired to seek after Jesus. The people are shocked and can’t believe that Jesus, the Son of Man would dare share company with a “sinner!” Then Jesus leads us into a parable where a nobleman calls ten servants and delivers them ten minas (money) and tells them specifically, “Do business tilll I come.” So the first two do exactly what was expected of them and the master gives them double the portion of what they started with. The third, however, out of fear, believing that the master was a man of a severe and strict nature stuck to the safe path and gave a zero sum value of what had been given to him. The master not only takes away what he gave and gives it to the faithful but removes everything else the servant possessed. Word to the wise, some people still view complacency as comfort and become satisfied with that, but fail to realize they have potentially entered the danger zone of losing all that made them comfortable with complacency in the first place.

Sometimes we look at people, judge (unrighteously), formulate incorrect opinions and later on hear testimonies of how Jesus saved them. And we sit back as life-long Christians who have grown up in the Word, the church, and realize we, ourselves have yet to have a true experience or knowledge of Jesus is, of who God is. This is apparent when people question Christians on why they believe what they believe and the answer is, “Well it’s just how I grew up or It’s what I’ve always been taught.” There is no power, inspiration, or hope in the answer. I’ve seen it and it’s sad to say the least. Oh, but what a day it will be when the so-called sinners of this world see Jesus before us self-proclaimed Christians do. Luke 19:3 (NKJV) says that Zacchaeus sought to see who Jesus was. He had no idea who Jesus was which left the door for Jesus to show Himself for exactly Everything He was. No labels, no preconceived notions. Just earnest desire. We would do well to leave our ideas of who we think Jesus is because it hinders our ability for us to cultivate the type of relationship and dependency we need from him. I truly believe the people who complained about Jesus wanting to be a guest in Zacchaeus’s home are those who fell prey to their own arrogance and belief system about who Jesus was and were blindsided when He didn’t live up to their expectations. So, much like the servent who believed his master too much of a disciplinary and felt inaction better than obedience or the people who believed Jesus, the Son of Man far too dignified to be associated with the likes of those marginalized within their own community, we miss out on what God can do in our lives when we go by our perceptions and not what The Word says who God is. When you limit God, you limit yourself and consequently settle for less than what He has for you. The ONLY expectation you need to have of Jesus is the expectation that He will do far more than what you can ever ask, think, or pray of and watch how He comes in your life!