The Danger of Complacency

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Scripture

Is. 32:9        Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice;
        you complacent daughters, listen to my speech.
10     In little more than a year
        you will shudder, you complacent ones;
    for the vintage will fail,
        the fruit harvest will not come.
11     Tremble, you women who are at ease,
        shudder, you complacent ones;
    strip, and make yourselves bare,
        and put sackcloth on your loins.
12     Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
        for the fruitful vine,
13     for the soil of my people
        growing up in thorns and briers;
    yes, for all the joyous houses
        in the jubilant city.
14     For the palace will be forsaken,
        the populous city deserted;
    the hill and the watchtower
        will become dens forever,
    the joy of wild asses,
        a pasture for flocks;
15     until a spirit from on high is poured out on us,
        and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
        and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
16         Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
        and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.

Observation

The pampered women of society served as an example of the escapist attitude of society. Ignoring all the signs around them they chose to enjoy their wealth, luxury, crops, clothing and cities while the enemy was approaching. They abandoned God’s purpose for their lives and embraced the world. The result of their complacency would be destruction. However, there was hope for there would be a day when a spirit would be poured out and everything would be transformed. The desolate lands would become fruitful and justice restored.

Application

This message is not just for the women, but for all who choose to live in complacency. There are spiritual dangers surrounding us and living with God’s purposes in mind can become clouded by the things of this world. What has become important to us? The very same things that consumed these peoples’ lives.

We are busy with our “stuff” and it leads us to being complacent in our spiritual lives. We want bigger and better cars, nicer homes, more clothes, better schools, travel sport teams for our children, and maybe even a fancy vacation. The average American is over-extended financially and yet this brings us to a spiritual complacency that leads to distraction. Instead of living within our means we are struggling to survive, completely unaware of our spiritual condition.

We need to listen to the prophetic voices. Isaiah was calling the people to wake up and we, too, must wake up. If we are being lulled by our stuff, we will never be aware of what is happening around us. The enemy is in the woods and creeping ever closer. The good news is that there is a solution. We must awaken and become refocused on God.  It’s time for God’s church to seek life in the Spirit for only in this place will we find salvation and justice.

Prayer

Lord, please help me not to be lulled to sleep by stuff! Amen.

Thank you to Nazarene Publishing House and Keri Mitchell for helping to create and publish Reflecting the Image. This is not a devotional book, but rather a collection of thoughts and stories which lead us in the direction of reflecting Christ. Click on the image to take you to the NPH bookstore.The book is also available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.





http://www.nph.com/nphweb/html/nph/itempage.jsp?itemId=9780834135277

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