The LORD within her [Jerusalem] is righteous; He does no injustice; every morning He shows forth His justice; each dawn He does not fail. Zephaniah 3:5 ESV
Have you ever been part of or responsible for a project that required the cooperation of a fully engaged team? A project that required every team member to be committed to high-performance standards in every aspect of the project.
Not long into the project, you realized there was one team member who wasn’t wholly on board with the plans. That person was not committed to the project’s goal.
In fact, they were lackadaisical and complacent towards the initiative, and it showed in the quality and quantity of their contributions to the project.
Lackadaisical: Lacking life, spirit, or zest (Merriam-Webster). Showing little enthusiasm of effort (Cambridge Dictionary). Without interest, vigor, or determination, listless, halfhearted, lazy, and indolent (Dictionary.com)
Complacent: Marked by satisfaction with the status quo especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies; self-satisfied; unconcerned (Merriam-Webster). Fedling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder (Cambridge Dictionary).
How was the situation handled? Was the problem addressed? How did that person affect the overall success of the team? In hindsight, how would you have liked to have seen it handled differently? What did you learn from the situation?
My next question is more personal. Have you ever been that person who was assigned or drafted to a project that you really could not have cared less about?
Were you the one who was lackadaisical and complacent?
What does that really mean?
It means the zest and enthusiasm are gone. You’ve got a “whatever” attitude that bleeds into every corner of your life. You’re fine with just letting things slide. You don’t care to change anything about your attitude or your situation.
You’d rather keep things as they are rather than risk making things worse. You’re stuck in neutral.
I’ve just described the complacent heart.
The Old Testament prophet Zephaniah was tasked with prophesying and preaching to people who had complacent hearts. After being under the reign of wicked King Manasseh and his son Amon, the people of Judah were sighing a breath of relief with good King Josiah on the throne.
Josiah was working to restore godly worship in the Temple as established by Jehovah God. He wanted to cleanse the land of the pagan worship that had taken root under Judah’s two most wicked kings – Manasseh and Amon.
The people of Judah were happy to have a righteous and just king on the throne, but not all were interested in turning away from their pagan practices to follow Jehovah solely.
They didn’t see the need to make a change. They wanted to live and let live. No big deal. A good king was on the throne, which was great. But they didn’t want to be bothered to change their way of life or their way of thinking. They were the very definition of complacent. “Let it ride. Everything was fine just as it was. The wicked king was gone; long live the good king. Don’t bother me.”
Zephaniah’s job was not an easy one.
Many born during the 57-year reign of the two wicked kings were more familiar with the pagan practices than they were with the expectations of God for His people, Israel. Others were trying to serve both Jehovah God and the idols that had infiltrated their culture. Still others were doing their best to follow God.
They all liked the rule of the good king, but they were personally satisfied to continue living as they always had.
It was Zephaniah’s job to challenge them to drop the complacency and wake up to the reality of their situation. A refusal to change meant eventual judgment and missed blessings.
The message in Zephaniah 3 is a rebuke to the complacent people of Judah:
- You refuse to listen,
- You ignore correction,
- You won’t trust God completely, or at all, and
- You cling to your false gods, making it impossible to go to God with a fully surrendered, undivided heart!
- You’re shameless!
Zephaniah told the people, “Fear God – take Him seriously. Listen, obey, and accept correction, then you will be restored.”
She [Jerusalem] listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God.” Zephaniah 3:2 ESV
Zephaniah warned the people, “Judgment will come. God will remove the rebellious, the proud, and the haughty. Those who are complacent and content with their ungodly state will be removed. But God will leave those who humble themselves before Him. Those who seek refuge in Him will remain safe in the land.” (paraphrase Zeph. 3:11-12)
Complacency robbed those who refused to listen to Zephaniah’s warnings of spiritual and physical restoration and blessing. In the end, their stubborn complacency brought punishment, blessings withheld, and death.
“Complacency refuses to listen, it doesn’t accept correction, and it refuses to fully trust God.” (paraphrase Zeph. 3:2)
Complacency says, “Don’t rock the boat. Don’t upset the apple cart. Don’t disturb my comfortable status quo. My life may be a mess, but it’s my mess—I know my limitations, and I can live with this.”
Does this sound familiar to you? Most of us could say that you know people who don’t want their comfortable existence disturbed by religious talk and spiritual guilt.
Maybe that someone is you.
You may think, “I’m a believer. I’m a Christian. You must be talking about unbelievers. This doesn’t apply to me.”
I’m sorry to tell you that complacency doesn’t discriminate. It can rear its ugly head in the heart of a believer, almost as easily as it does in an unbeliever.
Zechariah’s message was delivered to believers and unbelievers. He knew there was a complacency problem in both.
Christians can get stuck in their comfortable routine. The routine becomes a rut, and their attitude becomes complacent. “I’m serving God. I show up to greet every third Sunday. I work in the nursery once a month. I feel good about what I do for the church.”
This complacent attitude is a bit more subtle than an outright rebellious, “I am what I am, and I don’t intend to change” attitude. But it is every bit as insidious, because it includes a large dose of self-delusion. This complacent person thinks their service is enough; it should satisfy the “requirements” of being a participating and contributing member of the body of Christ.
But that’s not what God is looking for in His children. God is looking for an obedient heart, willing to continue growing in faith, love, and obedience. Christ followers should never be complacent or satisfied with the status quo in their faith or walk with Christ.
Strong believers are to be ready to join with other committed believers to fight the good fight of faith—growing and serving God together.
The Christian faith is vibrant, alive, and engaged in the spiritual warfare of the ages. Believers are to stand strong (1 Cor. 16:13 NIV), be battle-ready (Eph. 6:10-18), and persevere in the race of life (1 Cor. 9:24, Heb. 12:1).
Complacency doesn’t finish the race. Complacency usually doesn’t even start running. Don’t allow complacency to find a home in your head or your heart.
Fight the good fight, finish the race. Accept the crown that Christ has for those who reject complacency and run the race in exuberant obedience and joy.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17