Summer is upon us, and it might seem like the perfect time to sit back, relax, and just do nothing! Like I've mentioned in another newsletter before, during breaks, it becomes easy to be idle and not want to do anything because we no longer have school.
However, last Sunday, my pastor talked about one of the seven deadly sins: sloth. Now, when I say sloth, I'm not talking about this (picture). I'm not even talking about being lazy. I'm talking about a life without passion. That means a life without passion for food, friends, family, fun, or frisbees! Just a general apathetic nature towards everything. But even further, as a Christian, I am talking about a life without a passion for God, for Christ's work on the cross.
That means that someone who is running around, doing a bunch of religious, Christian-like things (going to church, giving offering, singing in the choir, memorizing verses, etc.) may still be someone who is slothful if that person is not doing it with a passion for Christ. To have a passion for Christ means that you daily, momentarily decide that every thought and action is going to glorify God in some way. That you are going to choose to do the hard things of life instead of taking the easy way out to glorify God.
This may mean that instead of watching your favorite TV show, you sit and pray to God. This may mean that instead of staying at home, you go and visit with some of your non-Christian friends to tell them about God. This may mean that instead of buying that new app, you are spending the money to give to your local church or a missionary.
As my pastor mentioned, the opposite of being slothful isn't to do a bunch of things, but to find something worth dying for. And the only thing glorious, magnificent, and worthy enough for anyone to die for is Someone who has already chosen to die for us: Jesus Christ. He chose to be passionate and not slothful, and did the hardest thing anyone could have done by dying on the cross, experiencing infinite pain and suffering so that we could be passionate for the Kingdom of Christ.
Think about these things during the rest of the week and share with someone steps you are going to take to be less slothful.
Until next time,
That means that someone who is running around, doing a bunch of religious, Christian-like things (going to church, giving offering, singing in the choir, memorizing verses, etc.) may still be someone who is slothful if that person is not doing it with a passion for Christ. To have a passion for Christ means that you daily, momentarily decide that every thought and action is going to glorify God in some way. That you are going to choose to do the hard things of life instead of taking the easy way out to glorify God.
This may mean that instead of watching your favorite TV show, you sit and pray to God. This may mean that instead of staying at home, you go and visit with some of your non-Christian friends to tell them about God. This may mean that instead of buying that new app, you are spending the money to give to your local church or a missionary.
As my pastor mentioned, the opposite of being slothful isn't to do a bunch of things, but to find something worth dying for. And the only thing glorious, magnificent, and worthy enough for anyone to die for is Someone who has already chosen to die for us: Jesus Christ. He chose to be passionate and not slothful, and did the hardest thing anyone could have done by dying on the cross, experiencing infinite pain and suffering so that we could be passionate for the Kingdom of Christ.
Think about these things during the rest of the week and share with someone steps you are going to take to be less slothful.
Until next time,
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