Get up and get moving!

God values a pure heart and gracious speech.  A pure heart speaks of purity of emotions and intellect.  Most of us struggle with this just because of all the "influence" we experience from the stuff working overtime to bombard our brains with input.  Guarding what gets IN affects what will indeed eventually come OUT.  Gracious speech speaks of the words which some might call "tactful" - marked by kindness, courtesy, and mercy.  In other words, they reveal genuine compassion.  These words are pleasing and bring "satisfaction" to he ears of the one hearing them.  We see God speak often of the condition of the heart and the outflow of the mouth - linking the outflow to what has first been cultivated by what we take in.

God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship.  God guards knowledge with a passion, but he’ll have nothing to do with deception.  Young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.  (Proverbs 22:11-12, 15 MSG)

Sandwiched in between many of these proverbs for living, God intersperses the frequent warnings against laziness.  To "guard" means we have to pay attention, on purpose, all of the time.  Any form of laziness on our part will provide an opportunity for either an attack on our emotions, a wandering of our minds, or the relationship disasters caused by words spoken in haste, out of season, or just without thinking.  Laziness is really any form of inactivity which has a negative outcome in our lives.  You might be able to judge if you are being "lazy" by the excuses you find yourself making when something happens, or when you are standing there empty-handed.

It is part of human nature to make excuses for our inactivity, especially when it is revealed by what we lack in some regard.  Excuses have a way of making us look good in our own eyes, but they seldom change the opinion of the one hearing them.  Excuses are just a subtle way of trying to shift the blame - or even remove it totally - but seldom accomplish this very well.  Really, anytime we offer an excuse for our laziness, we are just trying to shift the blame for our lack of progress to someone else - or some circumstance "beyond our control".  Excuses are just a way of revealing a lack of good judgment.  

When a life lacks prudence or good judgment, instruction and correction are needed in order to get that life back on course.  Discipline actually assist us in moving away from our posture of laziness and into a posture of positive action once again.  Folly is fun for a while, but eventually there is very little to show for our squandered time, talent, and treasure.  It becomes excessively costly to make excuses for any length of time, because what is lost may never be able to be made up again.  

The wise are often those who are giving the undisciplined instruction.  Why? They have learned the importance of living BEYOND excuses.  Their life has found a path of consistency - consistent people reveal a credibility in their actions and speech.  The wise have learned the importance of having God's word close at hand.  This is accomplished by consistent study and exposure to the truths which begin to settle deep within - taking root where excuses once held ground.  The word is not only instructional in nature, but it is "prodding". By it, we are moved into action when inactivity beckons us.  

The wise also recognize the ability of God's word to bring us to a place of trust.  Inactivity will produce nothing of this sort in our lives, for we cannot trust a crumbling foundation.  That which is maintained will remain strong - that which is allowed to just "coast" will eventually crumble.  The word is filled with all kinds of advice and knowledge - but if must be mined.  This is where the rub comes for the lazy - there is work involved in mining.  Effort has to be expended to both lay a good foundation and to maintain it.  As long as we make excuses and complain about the effort, we will never be developing deeper trust.  Trust is based on truth - truth is mined from God's word.  

Listen carefully to my wisdom; take to heart what I can teach you.  You’ll treasure its sweetness deep within; you’ll give it bold expression in your speech.  To make sure your foundation is trust in God, I’m laying it all out right now just for you.  I’m giving you thirty sterling principles—tested guidelines to live by.  Believe me—these are truths that work, and will keep you accountable...  (Proverbs 22:17-21 MSG)

Listening requires being attentive - on purpose, in the moment.  Taking teaching to heart requires getting up off our fannies and doing what the word says.  The promise to those who are willing to move beyond excuses - a bold expression in what we proclaim with our mouths - because what comes out has first been put in!  Here's the best part - when we stop making excuses for how "tough" it is to understand God's word, truthfully beginning to explore what we can understand right now, then allowing God to unfold what we just "don't get", we will be developing a foundation by which our actions begin to change.

In turn, we come to a place of realizing the truths contained in the word are actually reliable - they are tested and can be counted on to produce what they are intended to produce.  Some will build our faith.  Others will challenge us to lay down our pride.  Still others will hold us accountable for either our inaction or our improper action.  This is probably the biggest reason why we avoid the word of God - we don't want to be held accountable.  It is also the reason we need to make a beeline to it without haste!  Just sayin!

Be alert! Be ready!

^8-11Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

(I Peter 5:8-11)

As Peter wraps up the first letter to the churches, he sums up with a reminder of the importance of keeping our guard.  There is a call to stay alert, aware of our surroundings, attentive to things that cross our path.  Peter paints the picture of the Devil being "poised to pounce" much like a large jungle cat just laying in wait for its prey.  

What does it take to stay alert and stand our ground in faith?  He has given us some key points throughout this short epistle.  First, he reminded us that we will go through times of testing, much like a refining process, that will purify our faith.  A pure faith is one that can stand confident in the midst of trial and temptation.  How is our faith purified?  Peter tells us it is through trial - times of testing.  The trial brings to the surface things that otherwise would be hidden from our attention and allows us to lay those things before God, trusting him to remove them.  

Second, Peter reminded us that we need to be involved in our daily walk with a passion and a purpose - not just lazily accepting our lives as already being all they can be.  In other words, we stay committed to growth - doing what it takes to grow up in Christ.  This may mean doing what we don't necessarily feel like doing - daily time in the Word, gathering together in regular times of worship and teaching, etc.  It means that we don't accept "good enough" as the basis of our Christian walk - we ask God for the best, and pursue it with the passion that he enables us to develop.

Third, Peter spent a great deal of time expounding on the importance of love in our lives - because it is the manifestation of how God has worked in us, creating a new life within.  We are to be attentive to the needs of others, not always focusing on our own wants/wishes, but truly being sensitive to the plight of the other person.  Love is learned at the feet of Jesus - love is lived out in the daily example we set to a lost and dying world.  Love involves being kind with our words, encouraging in our actions, committed in our attitudes, and industrious in our work.

Fourth, we are reminded that it is very easy to indulge our ego at the expense of our spiritual walk.  Whenever we focus on our wants before God's desires for our lives, we are putting self first.  This is a place of danger for us!  We are called to do good with both heart and soul - that makes us unstoppable in the kingdom of God.  We cannot focus on our needs above those of another.  We cannot control the outcomes of a man's life, but we can impact the outcome by the choices we make, the example we set, and the love we display.

Fifth, Peter pointed out the importance of a change of thinking - not dwelling on the old sinful ways of thinking any longer.  In other words, he is telling us we need to have our minds (thoughts and attitudes) cleansed by the power of God's Word and his Holy Spirit.  The exchange of thought pattern from one of focusing on self, sinful passions and pursuits, to that of how God would have us to live is a process of growth.  We learn to "put on" the mind of Christ as we learn to bring each thought, desire, and attitude before him for his approval.  Those that do not bring him honor he begins to point out, faithfully revealing to us what we need to lay down in the process and what we need to replace those thoughts, desires, and attitudes with.  God is in the business of pointing out what needs to "go away", but he is also so faithful to provide what needs to "be put into" our lives.

Last, but not least, Peter tells us to be aware of our surroundings - standing our ground, alert, ready for the attack of our enemy.  Satan is like a prowling lion, waiting to pounce, just looking for the opportunity to trip us up in our walk and impede our progress with God.  He does this through doubt - causing us to question the sincerity of our heart commitment, planting little seeds of doubt that cause us to focus on what we are NOT, instead of what we ARE.

Be alert!  Be ready!  That is the call of this book.  Don't let the enemy of your soul trip you up with his discouraging words, immobilizing thoughts, and tantalizing temptations.  Stay on guard - in other words, don't grow lazy in your walk!  Be prayerful, study often and study well.  The best antidote to a lack of growth is to learn to take in that which will spur us to growth again - regular time in his Word, committed relationships with others walking with him, and attention to times of special communion with our God.