Are we satisfied with the standard of our life? I am not talking about the house that we live in or the position that we are in (in a corporate industry or in the Church; in a MNC or in a mission) or the fame that we have earned or the money that we have massed or the richness that we have reached. I am talking about our moral life.
Why is it that our moral life is important? Because none of the above mentioned can save us from destruction. In Zephaniah, the Lord says that, “I will cut off…. the priests” (Zeph 1:4); “I will punish the princes & the king’s children….” (Zeph 1:8); “For all the merchant people are cut down; all those who handle money are cut off.” (Zeph 1:11)
Why does God say that He will destroy all the people – the priest, the princes & the plenteous? All of them were settled in complacency and were viewing their success with pride. But the Lord does not leave us in our sorrier state: “I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil’”. (Zeph 1:12)
Now, we need to ask ourselves - Has success set superbia? Has popularity planted pride? Has contentment caused complacency? Let not success lead to pride and bring forth complacency in us. Because if we lack humility, the Lord will view our success with scorn; popularity with pity; contentment with contempt.
We need to be very careful to not allow any of these to set in our life. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:34, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Two new testament writers James & Peter throw more light on this verse by bringing in an appropriate context:
James explains why God resists the proud. Because pride promotes strife. A proud man does not get along with people; does not accept or value others opinions; and the proud spends all that he possesses on his own pleasures. (James 4:1-6). Peter exhorts everyone to be submissive to one another. (1 Peter 5:5-6)
A complacent person does not understand his moral and spiritual state. He does not obey God’s voice, does not receive correction, does not trust in the Lord and does not draw near to God. (Zeph 3:1,2).
The book of Zephaniah says whom does the Lord establish: “I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord….. and no one shall make them afraid.” (Zeph 3:12,13)
The secret of Scripture sanctioned success:
“Seek the Lord…… Seek righteousness…. Seek humility….” (Zeph 2:3) And then the Lord promises - “I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame.” (Zeph 3:19)
Even as we continue to seek the Lord, His righteousness and seek to be humble, He will give us success and “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness….” (Zeph 3:17)
Let success be succeeded by humility and popularity by perspicacity; let a holy discontentment grip us.
The book of Zephaniah does not stop here. The Lord is seeking for those who are not only personally humble & constantly check their lives, but who sorrow over those who do not live such lives and whose reproach is a burden unto them. (Zeph 3:18) Their hearts are broken by those things that break God’s heart!
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