We all have fallen to “IT” at some point in our lives. We were victim to ‘IT’ sometime this week, or yesterday, earlier today or we will give into “IT “after we leave here today. What is “IT” that is labeled as the Great Spiritual Assassin of our time? I will confess that I give into “IT” more that I want to admit! SO ….what is “IT”? Well my friends I am talking about Laziness!! And let me warn you all If laziness is left alone to grow in our lives it will become the great spiritual assassin by killing our bodies, our relationships with GOD, family and friends, not to mention laziness will kill our bank accounts, businesses and governments. In other words, LAZINESS will kill everything it touches!!!
Laziness is defined as disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or exert oneself” Chapter 8 is titled “The Silent Murderer”. The author is making the point that laziness is more than idleness it actually becomes a sin. Laziness according to the author is an attitude that will undercut our sense of duty to GOD and our obligation to our neighbor and an attitude that will waste our lives. The mindset that Laziness develops is an attitude that puts one’s personal comfort above all else… if I don’t feel like it, why do it? Laziness will cause us to ignore any sense of obligation and it will define sin exclusively as something we shouldn’t do causing us to forget all that we ARE commanded to do. We are part of a world that is full of reasons for us to be idle. Netflix, Xbox, facebook, instagram, snapchat, are but a few things that cause is to sit around and become lazy over time. The author warns us that when we are neglectful with our physical bodies, a part of us will start to die. We start to lose the will, inclination, and physical ability to enjoy life. When we let laziness creep in we will find over time our physical activity will decrease. We will want to sleep more, eat more, and lie around more rather than being engaged in the life God made for us. Today let’s focus on two forms of laziness: Physical and Spiritual. Physical laziness Ok, so you get home after a long day at work, you sit down to rest, and you turn on the TV. You find one of your favorite shows and you tell yourself you will only watch one episode…..8 hours later you just finished the first and second season of Stranger Things! The next thing you know your whole weekend was spent binge watching all your favorite shows. Does it sound familiar? I’m sure I’m the only one! I really don’t think this what Jesus had in mind when he said “ Go and make disciples of all nations” When we don’t “feel” like doing anything we can easily call it rest. This over time will take its toll on our physical wellbeing. When we neglect our physical body, a part of us starts to die. When we become lazy we avoid exercise and responsible eating, and we will start to miss opportunities to do God’s works. The author stated, “an out-of shape Christian loses the will, inclination, and ability to enjoy much of life because physical activity becomes too taxing.” The Bible warns us of this in Proverbs 21: 25 “ The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.” The Bible also encourages us in Hebrews 6: 11-12 not to allow physical laziness to invade our lives. “ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” We should seek to recognize the signs of physical laziness and look towards building ourselves up physically in order to be all that God wants us to be. Spiritual Laziness The work of a Christian is hard! When we are not at our best physically it will damage our spiritual side. Spiritual laziness will lead our hearts away from all spiritual progress. We will become lazy in our Faith, and we will start to drift from seeking to learning more about our GOD. Paul writes in Philippians 3:13-15 “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and staining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which GOD has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. Paul wants us to “press toward the goal to win the prize for which GOD has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” This takes action from us, we can not be physically or spiritually lazy when pressing towards this command. If we let our hearts become spiritually lazy, then we will not be pursuing and delighting in the LORD. Our most pleasurable acts will become points of stress and frustration. We will lose the wonder of life. Our alienation from GOD will color everything with a depressingly grey hue. Can anyone tell me who said this quote? “You have to realize that there is always work to do, and you want to be the hardest working person in whatever you do, and you put yourself in a position to be successful!” He also went on to say, “Success is born out of FAITH, an undying passion, and a relentless drive,” Does anyone know who said this. Well it was Steph Curry, and who is one of the current NBA best players. But the most important fact about Steph Curry is he is a Christian NBA player. He is very out spoken about his Walk and will Praise the name of Jesus every chance he has. He works hard at being the best player in the league, but I can assure you he puts in just as many hours in the word of GOD. His GOD given talents are a platform for the word of GOD. When we recognize the sin of laziness in our own lives, we can take actions and measures to build ourselves up physically and spiritually. No, I am not saying we will all win an NBA titles or gain wealth and fame. I think that we will enjoy more of the life GOD wants us to have when we seek him and keep ourselves in a physical state that will allow HIM to seek out others through us and be more of the image of his son JESUS. This chapter was an eye opener for me, I feel like this was speaking more to me and the way I am living right now. I have challenged myself to stay off social media and Netflix this week and to use that time to be in the word more or to reach out to others in need. So, my question to you is what do you find in your own life right now that is causing you to be physically or spiritually lazy? How can you change it in order to start seeing the benefits that the LORD describes in Philippians 3:13-15
0 Comments
When we look at ourselves and those around us, we typically can know/see certain sins that go on in our lives. In chapter 6, Is being overweight a Sin? Well, I think that is a question we may not know how to answer or even be brought to our mind often. It is more reasonable for the church to focus on sexual immortality and the lack of empathy toward the poor over Gluttony and a lack of physical fitness. What does the Bible say about gluttony? • Philippians 3:19 “Their destiny is destruction their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” • Proverbs 23:19-21 “Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path:20 Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. • Proverbs 25:17 “It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.” The Bible looks with disfavor on gluttony and indulgence but doesn’t denounce it as consistently or as directly as it denounces sexual sin, laziness, idolatry, materialism, and many other social ills. Answer: Do not believe that it’s appropriate to say that being overweight is a sin. Consistently gorging on food could, indeed, be considered sinful, but the state of carrying too much weight might not be due to this, and it would be misleading and unkind to categorically declare it a sin to be overweight. Reminder: Sin can lead us to become overweight, but being overweight is not, in and of itself, a sin. I go to war against gluttony and indulgence, not because I want God to love me more, but because God, who already loves me perfectly, warns me that gluttony and excess are my enemies – regardless of how good they may sometimes feel. I go to war against gluttony, not to build a body that others admire, but to maintain a soul “prepared to do any good work” that God can use to bless others. I go to war against gluttony because those who have walked closely with God warn me that overeating dulls me to God’s accepting presence, makes me more vulnerable to other sins, negatively affects my relationships with other people, and robs me of the joy rightfully mine as an adopted, deeply loved, and accepted child of God. Chapter 7 – Socially Contagious When I was reading the title of this chapter, I was not sure what I would be getting into. Does my environment and those around me really play a part in how I view my own weight? Here’s what it said and here is my response: Your social environment has a tremendous impact on your own journey of either gaining or losing weight. When your close friends, spouse, or siblings slowly gain weight, you are likely to follow, and the reverse appears to be true as well: when those around you lose weight, you are much more likely to be motivated to lose weight yourself. The way I respond to my weight varies on who I am around. Talk about comparison issues. When I am around girls at a pool I catch myself thinking oh, I need to lose this extra belly fat I have. But then, when I am at the gym, it is a whole different story. I see this strong women and it motivates me to get stronger and put on more muscle. My body image and how I want to perceive it changes. When I am surrounded by those who care for their bodies it motivates me so much more to steward my own body. Perhaps this is why the Bible consistently speaks of the pursuit of holiness in a corporate context rather than as individual efforts. • Ephesians 2:21-22- “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” The challenge that we face plays directly into our sin nature, which is naturally disposed toward comfort and ease and naturally inclined against sacrifice or denial of any kind. This is something I find myself getting wrapped up in. When I have had a stressful week or just bored my natural instinct is to eat something. I actually have never looked at it as something sinful but yet I realized there is a deeper issue at stake. I was only being deceived. There was a quote I read in this book that resonated with me: Deception convinces us that there really aren’t chains, and that our so-called prison isn’t all that bad a place… Deceived we start decorating our chains and develop designer syndromes to explain them away… we accept our chains and resign ourselves to confinement in prison cells of disease. We lose hope and.. try to make ourselves at home and comfortable in our cell. Questions to reflect on: • Are you setting up a social base that inspires you to be the best man or woman you can be? Or is your group of friends and advisers giving up and giving in to the most common spiritual enemies of our age? • Does your doctor address your symptoms, or does she address your decisions? • Is your pastor strong enough to occasionally confront your disobedience? Sociologist Kenneth Farraro found that religious practice in the United States correlates positively with obesity and Christians are the heaviest of all. This to me opens my eyes to see that we become “comfortable” with how we treat out body and what we put in it. It’s time we create a new kind of environment. One that that demonstrates how we treat our bodies as a form of Christian stewardship, a vehicle for evangelism, and preparation for the good work that God has planned for us to do. I have been struggling this week, and I’ve cheated!! don’t get to shocked! It's only been with my current challenge of fasting from sugar and alcohol. I am currently two weeks into a 21 day sugar fast and the first two weeks were not to bad. This Challenge was particular hard this week and I have been just craving donuts, candy, pretty much anything remotely filled with sugary carb goodness! Although I cheated on this fast and will have to do my consequence this week with those keeping me accountable Chapter 5 this week was a good reminder for me it reminded me of 3 key things.: The enemy will attack me in ways that just aren't plain fair! 1 Peter 5:8-9 says “Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.… “. He will use how I view my body, He will use my desire for Food!, but there is still work God is doing in me and he is not done!.
|
Follow us on instagram
Categories
All
|