This is the last of the Seven Deadly sins. All the others we have studied have been sins of commission. Sloth is a sin of omission. Pastor Adam quoted Os Guinness who said, “What is undeniable is that when comforts and convenience sap our energies and idealism, inactivity secretes sloth into our minds like a poison in the blood.” Do you need to examine inactivity in your life? Particularly as it relates to the things of God?
Sloth isn't about being lazy as much as it is inattention to the things that matter most - particularly to the things that matter most to God. Have you stopped caring about things you SAY you care about? Could this past year of less people, commitments, work, church, meetings, etc. have allowed SLOTH to creep into your life and make important things become unimportant?
INVITATION: Join us this week as we examine the heart of God as it relates to spiritual fervor and enthusiasm. Does your heart beat with the heart of God?
MONDAY: John 10:10: Could the evil one have come to steal the enthusiasm, passion and purpose of your life?
TUESDAY: Romans 12:9-11: These verses mention "spiritual fervor"--or some versions use the term "enthusiasm." How is your attitude and enthusiasm regarding the things of God these days? As Pastor Adam mentioned, you don't have to be the "cheerleader" type, but are you keeping the fire of passion burning in your life? Another word picture from the original language is "keeping the water boiling". We have had so many options of things to do - or not do - in our lives recently, it is easy to let sloth sneak in. This is particularly true in our spiritual lives because that seems to be the first thing we let go by the wayside. We remain committed to our exercise. We remain committed to our Netflix shows or our social media. But we allow our spiritual lives and our relationship with Jesus to suffer. Matthew 16:26 mentions gaining the world but losing your soul. Could sloth be allowing that to happen in your life? Do you feel like you are losing your soul?
WEDNESDAY: Phil. 3:7-12: Paul wrote this letter from prison. Yet he considered it "all loss compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus." Still, he continued to "press on" into the things of God and the spiritual life. Growing in the spiritual life takes discipline and exercise just like growing and staying in shape in our physical life. What spiritual exercises or disciplines do you regularly participate in? How do you set aside time in your day to pray, to be in scripture, to listen, to serve or otherwise to be with God and "fine tune" your spiritual life? Is Jesus a priority for you and are you learning to love him - and allow him to love you - more and more each day? As your spiritual life grows closer and closer to Jesus, spiritual practices and exercises will become more and more natural and something you crave, desire and truly miss when you don't include them in your life. Do you long for that? Talk to Jesus about it today. Do you desire to desire more of Jesus? Pray about that today.
THURSDAY: Phil. 3:13-14: God remembers your sin NO MORE. This is not some empty political promise. This is the true and honest character of God. He intends for you to live "freely and lightly" (Matthew 28). Are you still living in the past? That can increase the chances of sloth in your life because it weighs you down. How might you pray about things from the past that are holding you back? God is standing by and ready to help you let go of this weight and these shackles.
FRIDAY: Luke 11:9-10: Much commentary has been written about these verses and the state of the heart regarding asking for things in prayer. However, I find as I meet with people in Spiritual Direction that many aren't even doing the initial "knocking." They come to Spiritual Direction to talk about, process, and wonder about situations in their life. But when I inquire how that might be showing up in their prayer life, most often the response is something like this: "I haven't thought about praying about it yet." Do you take things to God before you stress over it, lose sleep over it, or take it to your friends and co-workers? How can you make "knocking" on God's door a regular practice today and this week? What might help be a reminder for you to pray first?
SATURDAY: Matthew 11:28-30: Are you weary and burdened and in need of rest? How can you begin to "come to Jesus" and "get away with Him to see how he does it" and learn to live "freely and lightly?" Does this appeal to you? Let Jesus know the desires of your heart for these things? Our world is "trauma tired" right now. Between the pandemic and the recent weather crisis in Texas, our souls are weary. Perhaps NOW - this season of Lent - might be a perfect time for surrendering the excess baggage you may be carrying from the past. If you continue to carry that excess baggage, you may be allowing sloth to creep into your life. Commit to surrendering it now!