![]() Prudential means of grace (doing no harm doing good).Instituted means of grace (prayer, scripture, communion, fasting, Christian conferencing).For John Wesley, his rule of life was the means of grace. “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (Philippians 3.13-14)Įveryone needs to have a “rule of life.” A rule of life is a compass which orients your life. “(God) will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” (Matthew 6.33) That’s how I want to live - serving according to God’s will, God’s purpose, in my generation! The one I’d like is what was said about David: David “served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried” (Acts 13.36). A moment ago, I mentioned the epitaph, “Dead at 30 buried at 60.” That’s a bad epitaph. Live for God’s glory in everything you do! “Under God’s guidance and with God’s support, we are to choose direction, take control, and, by the decisions and disciplines of our will, determine where we go.” (Dunnam & Reisman) There may be situations we cannot control, but we can do something! We’re in trouble and don’t know it, or we don’t care! satisfied, lukewarm) that we’re in the most trouble. I’ve long believed that complacency is the biggest enemy of the Christian journey and the Church. Well, let’s talk about ways to stay on task and avoid laziness from creeping into our lives. Spiritual Sloth (neglecting spiritual disciplines).Moral Sloth (complain about the state of things but don’t do anything about it).Mental Sloth (too lazy to think, read, or to enter dialogue).George Bernard Shaw once stated that the epitaph of many people could read: “Died at 30 buried at 60.” It’s obvious some people have checked out while they’re still alive. Sloth, or laziness, isn’t about getting necessary rest it’s about not caring it’s about apathy. In fact, “sabbath” means “to cease.” We all need to build rest in to the rhythm of our lives. Now we’re not talking about restfulness or even idleness. And Dunnam & Reisman say, “Laziness is a sin because it poisons the will.” Scott Peck believes that laziness is a major cause of evil and primary source of psychological illness. Is sloth sin? And is it really a deadly sin? Of all the sins listed among the seven deadly sins, perhaps the sin that would get the most argument is sloth. However, sometimes the mothers refuse to leave the trees to retrieve their offspring! Sloths are a great example of slothfulness. Because of the way sloths are built, they rarely die from the fall. Amazingly, infant sloths hang onto their mother’s fur, but sometimes they fall off. Sloths move only when they have to, and when they do, it’s normally very slowly. ![]() It sleeps, eats, travels, and even gives birth, while hanging upside down. It’s a mammal that lives mostly in trees and feeds mainly on leaves. ![]()
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