For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth...Eph 5:9
Winter 2005 Volume 6, Issue 1 |
Two Philosophical Views To Consider: |
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In the world today we find adults who act like children when it comes to faithfulness: How many children have a room full of action figures, video games, cable TV, DVD player, a huge collection of movies, every piece of sports equipment known to man, his own telephone, a fully loaded computer with high-speed Internet access, but don’t have a thing to do because they’re bored? Boredom is the plague of every parent with a child out of school. The cries of "I'm bored!" seem to echo through the house just hours after school lets out. Boredom is not just an irritation; it is often the symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. People with time on their hands for personal things, but not spiritual things are bored with the Lord’s work. What causes this? What things lead to boredom? Surprisingly, having too much (or too many distractions) leads to dissatisfaction with what you already have. There is a law of diminishing returns. “Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit” (Proverbs 25:16, 27). A treat once in a while tastes wonderful, but too many sweets is not nearly as delightful and can ruin your health. With any “good thing,” there is a limit to the amount we can enjoy before it becomes detrimental to us. Laziness is another factor that causes boredom. Having nothing to do produces more of the same in a person's life. “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger” (Proverbs 19:15). You would think that with the time in the world to relax, a lazy person would be bright and chipper. Instead, laziness has the opposite affect. Lazy people spend more time in bed than busy people and their extra sleep doesn't benefit them. “As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed” (Proverbs 26:14). A door swings back and forth in one place, just as the lazy bum flips from side to side in his bed. Without work, there is no improvement in a person's life. Without something to do, a person fills his spare time getting involved in the affairs of other peoples' lives. “For we hear that there are some who walk among |
you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies” (II Thessalonians 3:11). Finally, too often the things we accumulate distract us from the meaningful things we already possess. The more things we gather, the more our focus is on this world, and the less we focus on God (this is often reflected in an unwillingness to be involved in congregational activities, but having plenty of time for outside/personal activities). It is when we have little that we appreciate what we have and remember to show our appreciation to the Giver of all things. “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts that drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:6-10). Johnny Oxendine
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