Overcoming Complacency
By Zion Montgomery
Matthew 24:42-44 ESV, "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
What is the danger of being complacent? What does it mean?
Not to be elementary, but the definition of complacent is the 'showing uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.'
When I consider my spiritual life, it is so easy to be complacent! To become 'uncritical' and begin to justify my lack of urgency with spiritual matters, to explain away my lack of spiritual discipline and become comfortable in the movement of the world.
When I really start to think about this, it terrifies me! I consider Scriptures like the one above and later in Matthew 25, where Jesus shared the parable of the 10 virgins and the oil in their lamp. Those who had lost sight of the horizon of their master’s return were unprepared and deeply disappointed, having no one to blame but themselves.
This is how complacency connects with wonder. In awakening the wonder of the Lord - keeping His promises in front of us, His goodness, His love, His call to holiness, and more - we lift our eyes to the horizon and motivate ourselves in movement towards it. The fact is that we never fully arrive as Christians. Not to mention that we swim in a river whose current pulls us constantly in the opposite direction. Pastor Joe has said it often, 'There is no standing still - you either move toward the things of God or away from them.' In Matthew 12:30, Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” (Matthew 12:30).
So, how do we know if we have fallen to a place of complacency?
I believe it is when the things of this world feel more important than the things of the Spirit.
I see this first and foremost in my disciplines. We’re now in February; how many of us have already lost perspective of things we resolved to do in 2024? I was waking up every day at 5:15AM to read Scripture and pray. I was fulfilled in His presence and loving it. But now, I can give you 23.5 reasons why sleeping in until 7AM is actually better for me, and why I am justified in doing it. In this place, I have not put oil in my lamp.
And this is not just about spiritual disciplines - although I believe that assessing our spiritual disciplines is a great gauge of our lives holistically. Pastor Joe has also said, “There is no secular and spiritual; everything is spiritual.” He means that as believers, everything we do is entwined with the Spirit.
So here is the challenge for us today. Let’s examine ourselves. Look at the areas listed below, evaluate where you are, and consider what the horizon is:
Spiritual - how is our relationship with the Lord? Are we living as someone who anticipates His reign and return? Someone who has kept our hearts pointed to Him above all worldly things?
Relational - how are our relationships with our spouses, children, parents, siblings, and our church body? Are we personally contributing to tension or distance?
Vocational - how are we doing representing Christ in our workplaces? Are we diligent servants, or are we fighting for self-promotion?
Physical - how are we doing with stewarding our physical being? Are there any steps we can take to be more accountable; taking care of ourselves in a way that honors the Lord?