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St Mary's, GA, United States
Weekly bulletin. Church Office Phone: (912) 882-5800

Friday, October 10, 2008

FACING GIANTS LAZINESS AND BUSYNESS

Who doesn’t like to rest? Even Jesus sought rest and refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday life (John 4:6). A part of God’s instructions to Israel concerning the Sabbath was that they do no work (Exodus 20:8-11). Heaven is described as a place of rest from our labors (Revelation 14:13). Yes, there is a time and place for appropriate rest.

Laziness, however, is a serious problem. It is an evil addiction to inactivity. There are many admonitions in the book of Proverbs dealing with this problem.
Proverbs 10:4-5 - He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
Proverbs 10:26 - As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy man to those who send him.
Proverbs 13:4 - The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
Proverbs 21:25-26 - The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor. He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare.
Proverbs 26:13, 15 - The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!” The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
The question for the lazy person is not, “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” but “Are you as smart as an ant?” (Proverbs 6:6-8). The answer is no.

God calls us to be workers, not couch potatoes. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). We need to learn to work as if we were working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). This applies if we are doing school work, chores around the house, developing a new product that will change the world, or flipping burgers for minimum wage.

Busyness is a giant of a different breed. Time management is an important skill to learn. Ephesians 5:15-17 – “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” We can become involved in too much, become too busy. We all have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. We cannot do everything. We must learn to prioritize. It worries me when someone responds to a request to be active in a work of the church by saying, “I don’t have the time; I’m just too busy.” Too busy doing what?

Satan does not have to get us involved in things we think of as awful sins: cursing, adultery, drunkenness, stealing, etc. He can simply convince us to do nothing or do too much. Either one is spiritually draining and will bring about spiritual weakness and even death. How are you doing facing these giants?
--Lamar

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