For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. 16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift;… Is. 30:15,16a
I heard a story of an explorer who had gone to Africa for a safari. He hired a group of natives to carry his heavy supplies. On the first day under his direction the natives made really good progress that far exceeded his expectations. As the explorer went to bed the first night he anticipated another fast journey the next day as well. When he got up the next morning and tried to rally the natives, to his surprise they would not move. When he inquired through a translator why they would not move, they told him, “On the first day we went too fast and too far. Now we must rest and allows our souls to catch up to our bodies.” The only difference between the natives and busy Christians is they knew what was happening and we don’t.
There is a refusal among Christians to be still and silent before God, a refusal to look at the beauty of creation and to contemplate the awesomeness of the creator. The great sin of the church is the sin of slothfulness. Not slothfulness in the since of inactivity, because slothfulness is not the absence of doing, rather it is the absence of doing what we are supposed to be doing as beings made in the image of God. The periphery of slothfulness can be filled with a dazzle of activity and verbosity. Slothfulness, or laziness is a refusal to do our real work, that is to deal with God and deal with ourselves. It avoids getting serious with God and self by busily and noisily diverting attention with a smokescreen of activity.
The verse above reveals Israel had the same problem. Instead of responding to God’s invitation to draw near to Him, instead, they jump on fast horses to escape proximity. We are not much different. Our tendency to respond to inner restlessness is to get more active. However, our souls never seem to catch up, and we aren’t satisfied. Our hearts were made for God and will continually be at unrest until we rest in our creator. He cries out to us to us saying,
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. Is. 55:1-3
The solution of to the sin of spiritual slothfulness is seen in the above verse. Three times we see the word “come”. Four times He tell us to listen. We must understand there will never be satisfaction in the realm of being and doing alone. There will be a time when our money is completely spent on bread that doesn’t satisfy. The fundamental cause of this is due to misdirected activity and a refusal to be still and listen. God is pleading with us (for our good) to come close, and listen, so His word will pull us into communion with Him. He will then give us things that truly satisfy the hunger of the soul and bring satisfaction in our labors. We can be led out into His pastures with joy and peace, mountain and hills singing, and the trees clapping.
I heard a story of an explorer who had gone to Africa for a safari. He hired a group of natives to carry his heavy supplies. On the first day under his direction the natives made really good progress that far exceeded his expectations. As the explorer went to bed the first night he anticipated another fast journey the next day as well. When he got up the next morning and tried to rally the natives, to his surprise they would not move. When he inquired through a translator why they would not move, they told him, “On the first day we went too fast and too far. Now we must rest and allows our souls to catch up to our bodies.” The only difference between the natives and busy Christians is they knew what was happening and we don’t.
There is a refusal among Christians to be still and silent before God, a refusal to look at the beauty of creation and to contemplate the awesomeness of the creator. The great sin of the church is the sin of slothfulness. Not slothfulness in the since of inactivity, because slothfulness is not the absence of doing, rather it is the absence of doing what we are supposed to be doing as beings made in the image of God. The periphery of slothfulness can be filled with a dazzle of activity and verbosity. Slothfulness, or laziness is a refusal to do our real work, that is to deal with God and deal with ourselves. It avoids getting serious with God and self by busily and noisily diverting attention with a smokescreen of activity.
The verse above reveals Israel had the same problem. Instead of responding to God’s invitation to draw near to Him, instead, they jump on fast horses to escape proximity. We are not much different. Our tendency to respond to inner restlessness is to get more active. However, our souls never seem to catch up, and we aren’t satisfied. Our hearts were made for God and will continually be at unrest until we rest in our creator. He cries out to us to us saying,
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. Is. 55:1-3
The solution of to the sin of spiritual slothfulness is seen in the above verse. Three times we see the word “come”. Four times He tell us to listen. We must understand there will never be satisfaction in the realm of being and doing alone. There will be a time when our money is completely spent on bread that doesn’t satisfy. The fundamental cause of this is due to misdirected activity and a refusal to be still and listen. God is pleading with us (for our good) to come close, and listen, so His word will pull us into communion with Him. He will then give us things that truly satisfy the hunger of the soul and bring satisfaction in our labors. We can be led out into His pastures with joy and peace, mountain and hills singing, and the trees clapping.
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