Excuses, Excuses, Excuses... they don’t hold up with God.

Excuses... a very popular defensive mechanism for this generation, especially when it comes to developing and maintaining a relationship with God.

Everyone is guilty of making excuses to cover their tail at one time or another. It is interesting how the word "excuse" has evolved over time in the English language. It originally meant, to give a defense or reason for something. However, in more recent times, it has come to serve as an explanation crafted to avoid or alleviate guilt or a potential negative judgement.

It is often an elaborate schema of thoughts strung together, given verbally, in an attempt to avoid personal responsibility for one’s actions. God’s word offers an interesting perspective on “excuses”.... as Paul wrote in Romans 2:1-3.... You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?

People over the ages have conjured up a myriad of excuses for not doing the will of God. There are a mountain of excuses given for not obeying the gospel and becoming a Christian. Some are quite elaborate, but most are pretty shallow and flimsy at best.

Then there are the committed Christians, who use “ingenious excuses” in their attempt to excuse themselves from being fully committed, active, passionate and engaged in doing their duty towards God.

Excuse making is very old and very common for humanity. Excuses didn’t work when Adam and Eve tried to wiggle their way out of sinning against God (Gen. 3:9-13). And they don’t work today for so-called committed Christians who try to wiggle out of being actively involved in serving God, His Church and the Great Commission.

Everyone who has ever been in a relationship with God and tried to use excuses to account for a bad choice or sinful conduct, gets no slack. Moses tried to wiggle out of serving God before the Egyptian Pharaoh because he didn’t think the Hebrew people would accept him, believe him or listen to him. Isn't this a pretty common excuse Christians give for not proclaiming and teaching the gospel?

Secondly, Moses claimed he was not a good speaker. Maybe he wasn’t, but that's not a show-stopper with God. You’ve heard similar excuses offered among Christians who seek to avoid being involved. Maybe you’ve even used it yourself to excuse your responsibilities in God’s service. It’s a well worn excuse for why Christians do not develop their talents in serving the church. "Sorry... I can’t do that... I don’t know how... I’m not good at that, etc., etc., etc." Nevertheless, in Moses life, he did develop his talents and went on to be one of the greatest leaders that ever lived. I guess God knows a thing or two about developing the willing and honest-of-heart in becoming all they can be in His service.

Jesus gave a parable to combat excuse making. Recorded for us in Luke 14:16-24... it’s a simple story of a man inviting many people to "a great banquet." What happened when the invitation was extended? Those invited all began making excuses why they couldn’t attend. Excuses ranged from property and possessions, business and livelihood, to family and friends. They had things to watch over, deals to make and family and friends to attend to. All good excuses, right? Wrong! There are no acceptable excuses for rejecting the “invitations” extended by our Lord and Savior.

Yet in the body of Christ today, Christians are offering the exact same excuses, just more elaborately crafted than the simplicity portrayed in the parable. Many today excuse themselves for not doing the will of God because of property or possessions. What ever form that takes, an over-extended mortgage, over spending, too many material possessions... in debt up to your eyebrows... whatever it is... such things become your focus, your god, and take you away from time to serve the Kingdom.

How about your job... do you let it get in your way of serving God? Too many Christians excuse themselves from the Lord's invitations... worship services, fellowship and relationship building or the Lord's work of evangelizing the lost, because they have a business to run or a job that conflicts with regularly scheduled church activities. The excuse is a good one and it’s been working well for quite a long time... “I have to miss church to make a living for my family.” However, Jesus warned in John 6:27... “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Could he have been more precise in his warning... not at all... the message is clear – God is always first, no matter what.

Maybe the toughest excuse to deal with concerns our families, friends and relationships. Jesus was extremely careful to warn us that family and friends would come between Him and His followers. Christians know that going in. Remember, Jesus ask us to calculate the costs of being one of His disciples. Never is that more relevant than in our family situations. If family members are unbelievers, fence riders, marginal Christians, or backsliders, whatever their spiritual circumstance... they should never be used as an excuse to keep us from pursing service to the Kingdom of God. Consider what Jesus said to Martha as recorded by Luke in chapter 10 verses 41 and 42. Sound advice for all of us when considering the power our families can have on our spiritual psyche.

The typical excuses of TODAY don’t hold up with God. Modern man makes excuses for his sinful behavior. Some excuse themselves by saying, "I can't help it, its just the way I am, or it’s the way I was born." Homosexuals excuse their sinful behavior by saying they were born that way and they just can't help it. Sorry, God declares otherwise (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Some think they were born with a bad temper and they just can't help it. Again you have no leg to stand on... read James 1:19-20.

Young people have been known to say, "Everybody else is doing it." "Everybody else is wearing it." "Everyone else is going, why can’t I?" First of all... it’s highly unlikely that everybody is doing it, but even if they are, it would not excuse you for doing it. If everybody at school lies, cheats, steals, does drugs, smokes, drinks alcohol, and engages in casual sex, etc., etc., this social-cultural reality does not give you the right to do the same things. Parents and young people... read together what Romans 12:2 has to say.

Parents have a tough time during the difficult teen years when such excuses and justifications for self-willed behavior invades your relationship with your offspring. Sometimes if feels like a war is raging between teenagers and parents on these things. Maybe it feels that way... but the war is between the teenagers and God. The teenagers must learn to make their own decisions based on divine principles... no excuses will neutralize their bad choices and ungodly behavior.

God will not accept man's flimsy, feeble, sorry excuses. All unbelievers are without excuse before God. (Romans 1:20) Those who condemn others for their wickedness, but practice the same things are without excuse. (Romans 2:1)

Remember the parable of the large banquet... the master was angry when people refused his invitation, so he invited others to take part. God the Father has done much in providing a plan for salvation and redemption for sinful man. He is justly angered when people make excuses for not accepting His precious invitations.

No excuses will be accepted in the day of judgment. (Read Luke 13:24-27) God will convict and convince all ungodly excuse makers in that great day. (Jude 14-15) He’ll do it with a question... Did you keep my laws and statutes and judgments? For those who never claimed Him, rejecting His gift of grace, their answer will be pretty straight-forward... No. Nothing to report, discuss, no life “in Christ” to defend. But for the Christian who has claimed Him as Savior and carry His name in the world today, our answer to that question will be the most difficult and challenging we have ever faced.

What's your excuse for failure to obey God? He’s heard them all! Maybe it’s time for you to resolve in your heart... as one who has accepted the precious blood of Jesus and committed your life to Him, but for a myriad of excuses you just can’t seem to get going or keep the engine running... to denounce all worthless excuses and make yourself right with Almighty God.

Get busy in doing the will of God rather than relying on lame-brain excuses for avoiding or postponing your responsibilities to Him.

God will actually help you towards that end. But you will have to take the first, and maybe the second and third step in a refreshed walk towards Him to convince Him you’re serious. He wants you to stay the course and run the race set before all of us, doing so passionately and faithful in all things.

God Hears your Prayers... and Responds!

When we pray, God hears us. The Bible states in no uncertain terms that "this is the confidence we have in approaching God... he hears us" (1 John 5:14). When we pray, whether by spoken word or in quiet anguish, our prayers ascend unencumbered to God's presence. But that's not all that happens.

When we pray, God cares. What we attempt to convey is more important to him than we could possibly imagine. The Bible asserts this as well: "Let him [God] have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you" (1 Peter 5:7). Notice the emphasis: God is concerned not simply with his grand plan but with our cares and concerns. When it comes to prayer, God's empathy knows no bounds.

But it is the Bible's third declaration that perplexes us. When we pray, God answers. The Bible is emphatic: there is no such thing as an unanswered prayer. "You say, 'He does not respond to people's complaints.' But God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it" (Job 33:13-14 ).

Now you may be thinking, That isn't true. I specifically prayed for a new Red Corvette sports car, and it's not sitting in my driveway, so I know God doesn't answer every prayer. Or you may be recalling, "Once I prayed that I would get to work on time — that was it, no big deal, no sweat off God's brow — and I got a flat tire on my way to work... I was late.”

More seriously, you may resonate with C.S. Lewis's feelings after his wife passed away, or maybe the cryptic lyrics of Paul Simon’s song The Sounds of Silence. When you hear someone casually toss out that God answers every prayer, you say, "Listen, that's just not true. And I have the experience to prove it."

But the Bible doesn't back down when challenged on this. Scripture stands by the declaration that God hears, cares and responds. Always.

So what is happening with God's answer?
In our struggle with God's perceived silence we must take into account an idea that is often alien to our sensibilities: that a prayer was not answered in the way we wanted it answered or thought it should have been answered, doesn't mean that an answer did not come directly from God. God promises to answer every prayer; how he chooses to answer is his affair. Consider the following ways a clear response from God might be mistaken for silence.

No is usually Mistaken for Silence
The first is the most obvious. Sometimes God's answer is simply "No." What we ask for, no matter how well-intentioned, could be inappropriate, like a new Corvette. Do you really need one? I'm pretty sure God won't think you need one. Yet we often refuse to listen to God's no, insisting instead that God has yet to answer. It is often beyond our thinking to imagine that God would deny our requests.

Once Jesus and his followers were traveling to Jerusalem. One of the cities they journeyed through was Samaria, so some went ahead to arrange a place with local inhabitants for Jesus and the rest of the disciples to stay. What happened next is interesting.

The people there did not welcome him . . . When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" (Luke 9:53-54) These two disciples sincerely felt that their question made perfect sense in terms of what had transpired. But did Jesus answer, "Sure guys, let's nuke 'em"? Rather Jesus responded... "Of course not!" (Luke 9:55 The Message).

God cares deeply about us and hears every request, but that doesn't mean his answer can't still be "No." This becomes particularly clear to me when I think of my role as a father. Recall the many times you said “no” to your children as they grew up. . Many times they would ask for something, and your answer would be — for their sake — a firm and decisive “no”. More times than not, they didn’t have a clue as to why you answered “no”. Sometimes the desire was so great for whatever they wanted, they didn’t even hear your “no”. However, as they grew and matured their requests became more informed as they learned to apply the values by which they were raised.

So it is with our souls in relation to prayer. We often make requests that cannot be granted by God. But we can be assured that God's operative stance toward us is devotion to hearing us... even hearing and responding to our ridiculous and self-centered requests made in prayer with a No that is often mistaken for His silence.

Even when pain erupts and tragic events are allowed to continue, or God denies our requests, we can rest assured that we have been granted a greater blessing — or kept from a deeper, more lasting pain. We may not see evidence of this answer immediately, but in time we will. Faith, it’s all about trust and faith.

And God's “no” is seldom left to itself. The answer often goes further. When Paul repeatedly begged God to remove his "thorn in the flesh," the answer was "No." But there was more: "[God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The purpose behind God's refusal and the ramifications it holds for our life are met by the direct presence and power of God. The fullest sense of God's reply is "No, but I'm here . . . and it will be OK. Trust me." Yikes! That’s not easy to do is it?

Mistaken for Silence: Not Now, maybe later
But "No" is not the only response from God that can be mistaken for silence. Sometimes when he seems silent he is saying, "Not now." When we ask God for something, we are looking for it at once. We have a predetermined timetable. If God were to say, "Not now — the timing is neither right nor best for you," it would be natural to interpret his answer as silence.

What adds to the difficulty of "Not now" is that we are so used to instant gratification. We can't imagine a life without express lanes, ATMs, faxes, e-mail and instant messaging and the like. We're used to getting what we want when we want it, which makes "Later" or "Not now" only slightly easier to hear than "No." We still end up frowning don’t we?

But God's delay should not be confused with his denial, much less his silence. He always has reasons for saying "Not now," and we should greet such delays with trust and patience. The willingness to wait in prayer and let God's timetable unfold is an opportunity to grow spiritually. Besides, we may not be ready for what God would say. The delay may have less to do with the timing of events than the timing of our soul's growth. Waiting does not diminish us or our needs. Maybe our “needs” are not as important as we think they are. What is important, is continuous growth in our relationship with God. With God, there is “growing” in the waiting.

Mistaken for Silence: Deep Calling to Deep
A third response from God that can be mistaken for silence is the most difficult to grasp. Perhaps the best way to introduce it is through the words of Psalm 42:1-3... As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God . . . My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

Here is someone hungering for a word from God. He alludes to a difficult time, a season where he has been calling out to God in the midst of pain, grief or confusion. From all angles it appears as if God is silent to his cries. But notice what he goes on to write:

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God . . . My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you . . . Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls. (Psalm 42:5-7)

The psalmist comes to see that there is no silence; the answer coming from God is deeper than words. God is present, and speaking, but what he's saying isn't resting on the surface waters of life. God’s answer is best found in the depths of wisdom and understanding that comes from being in His Holy Word, the Bible. There will be season’s in our lives where “deep is calling to deep” and you can only discover the answers and guidance of God from His written Word. Sometimes, what we think is His silence, is a call for us to put a little more skin in the game and search deep for wisdom and understanding... two things God sees we are lacking, but wants us to attain.

Perhaps it's not silence we're encountering while we seek God, but rather a lengthy pause — a prompting to engage in personal reflection so that the deepest of answers, the most profound of responses, can be given by Him, received by us and understood in the light of His perfect will.

Could this be how God mentors us? Is God's apparent silence the method of a Master Teacher? When we go through seasons where God's answers do not come quickly, instead of reacting negatively to what we perceive as no response, we need to consider the way God interacts with our prayers. He is most certainly seeking to draw us into deeper trust, dependence and obedience In that depth, we will find that the answers to our prayers radically transcend what we initially sought to find.

We are short sighted in our communication with God. We always will be, until we trust Him to answer in His way, in His time with our best interests, that we can rarely see woven into His response. Silence can be a true blessing, not simply for where it leads but for what it affords: opportunity for God to speak beyond the answers we seek.

This was certainly the experience of Jesus, who was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to begin his ministry, and then led again into a personal desert to end His life on the cross. Jesus' cry from the cross... "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" echos the separation that Jesus felt from the Father, as He took on the world's sin, but it also served as a "silent" reminder that Jesus was fulfilling a "deeper purpose." Jesus screamed in agony "God, where are you?" and God seemed to say nothing. But “deep was calling to deep”, and in His reconciling the world to Himself, Jesus heard the voice of God in the depths of his heart. He trusted and prevailed.

The voice of God in hearing us, caring for us and answering our prayers is assured. Trust that with all your heart. We communicate to God through prayer... He communicates to us through His Word. Read, Study and Listen to every word. Will it at times be a struggle... yes it will. Will you be anxious and frustrated... no doubt you will be.

Understand... God never responds in silence, but we have to listen carefully to how He responds to us. Search the depths of your soul... search His Word and you find all the answers to your prayers.

The Silence of God

"The Sounds of Silence" was the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon and Garfunkel to international fame. The lyrics of the song tried to make sense of the tragic events surrounding the November 22, 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Why was Kennedy shot? There are lots of theories, but no real clear cut answers. Was it one lone assassin or was there a deeper shadow conspiracy behind the assassination? Again, no one really knows.

Paul Simon’s lyrics poetically project our uncertainties and fears surrounding the assassination. They also resonate a spiritual consciousness and say a lot about how we feel when we don’t have clear and certain answers...

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"... And whispered in the sounds of silence

To this day, researchers, investigators and historians are troubled by the death of JFK. There are no clear answers as to why it happened. Conspiracy theories abound offering little more than foggy explanations with scant supportive evidence. There is little doubt that after 47 years, the events of that tragic day will be shrouded forevermore in mystery and speculation.

As Paul Simon’s lyrics so eloquently describe... Silence is an unnerving experience for humans. Not knowing... not understanding the “why” of tragic events causes us great discomfort. We are vulnerable and fearful in such times. Trust and confidence in governmental institutions, the higher powers in our society, can be permanently damaged.

The Bible also speaks about silence and the fears that come with not knowing. The Psalmist in chapter 22 verses 1 and 2 writes words that echo our fears of the unknown...

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer.

When tragic things, unexpected things, happen to people we love, we shrink in fear because we don’t understand why bad things happen to good people. We don’t understand why God doesn’t intervene and alleviate the suffering of those who love Him. The haunting sounds of silence... no answers, no explanations, can be deafening to our spirit.

Few Christians have chronicled their struggle with God more poignantly than C.S. Lewis. The famed author was deeply in love with his wife, Joy. Though they met and married late in life, few romances bloomed as theirs did. Not long after their relationship began, Joy was diagnosed with cancer. She endured a long and terrible season of illness before she died.

Lewis wrote about his feelings following Joy's death in a series of notebooks that were later published as A Grief Observed just before his own death in 1963. His most telling observation? The silence of God.

He wrote... No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness . . . On the rebound one passes into tears and pathos. Maudlin tears. I almost prefer the moments of agony. These are at least clean and honest . . .

Meanwhile, where is God? . . . When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him . . . if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be — or so it feels — welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become . . .

Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?

Indeed the question... “why”? Many of us have experienced what we believe to be the silence of God. We cry out to God, and there seems to be no answer to our pleadings. We pray, pouring out our hearts, only to hear the words echo back without a reply.

The maddening thing about our frustration with “silence” is that we have been conditioned to expect a direct relation between input and output. If we work a certain number of hours, we will reach a certain level of success. If we place our children in the right schools, enroll them in the right programs and practice the proper procedures, they will turn out as we hoped for. If we invest our money strategically and wisely, we will receive a fair return on our investment.

When we cry out to God and nothing happens, how can we help but feel something's not quite right... and the problem is with the listener... us? Few things are more damaging to a relationship than a sense of not being heard or responded to. It's as if we don't matter, that there is no genuine concern. If God is calling for our total commitment... our very soul, and we are attempting to connect with him at that level, there seems no place and no excuse for His silence.

However, the silence as we perceive it, is seldom permanent and most often misunderstood. Lewis later wrote these words: "I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted.... [I was like] the drowning man who can't be helped because he clutches and grabs."

So what was he clutching and grabbing? What was he missing in what first seemed like silence? Perhaps the most penetrating question is simply this: What happens when we call out to God?

Do really understand how HE responds to us? The Bible reveals that three things happen in our communication with God. We must understand these three things and how God communicates to us, or much of our pleadings to Him will be shrouded in disquieting silence.

NEXT Post: God Hears, God Cares and GOD ALWAYS Responds

Examine Yourself: Are you a LAZY Christian?

Christians today throughout the world are living in a frantic technological age, swamped by information overload. Gadgets, inventions, and new computer software constantly challenge us to keep up with the wave of new gizmos flooding the market, most of which are supposed to “make our life easier.” While most Christians might describe themselves as “very busy,” the question that needs to be asked is this, “Are they busy living their life for the glory of God?” Usually the answer is, “No.”

It is difficult to find a group of men who actually want to labor in Bible study and the things that bring about spiritual growth. A few are willing to attend a Bible study, as long as it is convenient and doesn't interfere with “more important things.” Very few are willing to work diligently at growing in their walk with the Lord... maturing spiritually. They live a life that is both frantically worldly and spiritually lazy. They may work very hard at their jobs, advancing up the ladder, earning promotions, raises and the like... but they seldom share their faith, stand up for the truth, or try to evangelize their co–workers. They are spiritual chameleons blending in with the children of Satan... neglecting to live for God in the world. People like this are very busy spiritual sluggards. A prickly title, but it fits.

There are also those who have reached retirement age, those who are not married, and those who are home from college for the summer and these people may have lots of time to do many things. The world would have people like this kickback... sleep, relax, and fritter away their time on things that have no eternal significance. The easy chair, the couch, and the bed can become three of your best friends. If you don't discipline yourself, you can become a Christian three-toed sloth.

And then there are the youth of this generation who have been raised to be lazy. They don't have to make their beds because mom does that. They don't do their laundry, or even know how, because mom does that too. They don't clean the bathrooms, vacuum, cook dinner, do dishes, or take out the trash because mom and dad do those things. They don't lift a finger to help dad with the yard work, because the gardener or mowing service does that. They don't wash the car, because the people at the car wash do that. They don't fix things like leaky faucets, broken appliances, or paint things that need painting because paid professionals do those things. During the school year they may reluctantly do homework, but prefer playing video games, watching TV and hanging out with their friends at the mall or some other place... away from home and family. They are like the two daughters of the leech, whose names are “Give and Give” (Proverbs 30:15)

Regardless of how frantic and busy your life may be, one thing is certain: God wants you to serve Him every waking minute, of every day, with all of your heart, all of your mind, all of your soul and all of your strength. Are you doing that? If you are in doubt... maybe it’s time to look in the mirror of your Christian life and see what looks back at you.

Laziness, can become an entrenched lifestyle that is hard to break free from. Leisure time, rest and relaxation, vacations to exotic places are heavily promoted in our cultures. We come to believe at an early age that we are entitled to leisure time and the temptation to “kickback” can be very powerful... so powerful in fact that leisure time can literally regulate our life agenda.

God made us to work. Even before the fall of man, he was ordained to work, to be productive. Work was to be a dominate part of the life experience. And the Bible is clear, because the Lord ordained work for man, laziness is sin. “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6).



The Bible has a great deal to say about laziness. Proverbs is especially filled with wisdom concerning laziness and warnings to the lazy person. Proverbs tells us that a lazy person hates work: “The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work” (21:25); he loves sleep: “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed” (26:14); he gives excuses: “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets’” (26:13); he wastes time and energy: “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great waster” (18:9 KJV); he believes he is wise, but is a fool: “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly” (26:16).



Proverbs also tells us the end in store for the lazy: A lazy person becomes a servant (or debtor): “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor” (12:24); his future is bleak: “A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing” (20:4); he may come to poverty: “The soul of the lazy man desires and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich” (13:4 KJV).



There is no room for laziness in the life of a Christian. A new believer is truthfully taught that “…it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

A believer can become “spiritually lazy” if he erroneously believes that God expects no fruit from a transformed life. “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). If you think that getting “baptized” completes your life as a Christian, you are sadly mistaken. Indeed Christians are not saved by works, but they are most assuredly defined by what they do for God – works. Christians show their love and faith for God by their works on behalf of His Kingdom (James 2:18, 26). Slothfulness violates God’s intended purpose for His people... good works. The Lord, however, empowers Christians to overcome the flesh’s propensity to laziness by giving us a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this “new skin” so to speak... our real work begins and there’s no room for laziness.



In our new nature, we are motivated to diligence and productiveness out of a love for our Savior who redeemed us. Our old tendency towards laziness—and all other sin—has been replaced by a desire to live godly lives. As Paul said to the Ephesians... “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28). We are convicted of our need to provide for our families through our labors... “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8); and for all others in the family of God: “You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'” (Acts 20:34-35).


As Christians, we know that our labors will be rewarded by our Lord if we persevere in diligence: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10); “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24); “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).



Christians should work hard, propelled by God’s power, to evangelize and disciple seekers of truth at every opportunity. The apostle Paul is a fine example of one who understood that his labors brought good to everyone his “works” touched: “We proclaim him [Christ], admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:28-29).

God knows our needs and our limits. He knows when we need rest and relaxation. We have a great work to do in fulfilling the “all consuming” Great Commission. Our primary life focus must be devoted to proclaiming the gospel message to a lost and searching world. Read the book of Proverbs... read the many examples throughout Scripture of those who served God faithfully, and you will not find a single one who spent their time vacationing and relaxing.

God is very clear on the matter of laziness... being sluggardly in personal spiritual growth, disinterested in serving the needs of the Church and in caring for widows and orphans and failing to bear with one another in all things... is all sin. A Christian’s lifestyle of “laziness” carries with it serious consequences.

The Most Important Relationship in Your Life!

Christianity is described as a relationship with God.  There’s not much point to the tenants of Christianity if your primary objective is not a close intimate relationship with the Holy Living God.

We know that relationships take work. Your marriage takes work, hard work in fact. Raising kids is not for the faint of heart. So, it stands to reason that a mutually beneficial relationship with the Holy God will take serious commitment and effort on our part. It will take time. In fact all of our time, attention and focus must be on cultivating our relationship with God. Let me explain.

In today’s society, we seem to have less and less time for important things.   With all our conveniences and technologies, we spend less time on the important things of life, things that really matter. We try to delegate away personal responsibilities and we seek proxies to stand in for us in our personal commitments. We minimize and marginalize the important things of life that take time and effort. Sadly, this social-cultural attitude has permeated Christianity. Christians today for the most part, practice a lazy Christianity. 

Most Christians, if asked point blank “is God important in your life” will answer with a yes. But the behavior of most Christians is out-of-step with the “yes” they speak. Many Christians have not read their Bible from cover to cover and if they have, it may have only been once or twice. Most Christians do not spend time reading God’s Word. People simply don’t take the time to listen to God. They rely on others to teach them about God whether it is through listening to sermons on television or the preacher’s sermon when they happen to show up at church... when nothing more important is going on.

God speaks directly to us through His Word. It is all consuming... absorbing... confrontational... inspirational... life challenging and life changing. Reading it can be a very dangerous experience for a self-willed person.

Prayer is a means to communicate with God. It is His primary forum for us to communicate with Him. For most Christians, prayer is infrequent, shallow and if it even exists... the limit of their relationship with Him. We can petition Him with our requests, praise Him, give thanks and ask for forgiveness. However, this is our communication with Him, not His communication with us.  It is a one sided relationship... us to Him.

Reading the Bible is His way of communicating directly with us. God has revealed Himself to us through the Scriptures. If we want to know Him personally, we read His Word written exclusively to us. God’s Word to us is not a one time read. All that He wants to reveal to us about Himself is found in the Bible which is living and active and not merely a book to be read once or twice. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

We all choose and act upon what is important to us. It does not matter what we say, it matters what we do for what we do speaks volumes about what is important to us. Our relationship with God is not one sided, at least it shouldn’t be.

We speak to Him through prayer. He speaks to us through His Word. If we are not spending time in His Word, then its obvious that there are more important things in our lives than listening to God. Today, Christians generally do not know the Bible well enough to even site the most basic foundational principles of faith. They know what they’ve been taught.  Fast-paced Christianity for a fast-paced lifestyle doesn’t cut it with God.

I agonize about the poorly formed spiritual condition of today’s Christian. How did the body of Christ so easily succumb to where it is now? There is no time for God... except for the occasional Sundays [dutiful] and infrequent prayers [self-serving]. Maybe it is because we live in a “it’s all about me” type of society... “what can God do for me” [the genie effect]...? Or maybe we’re simply too busy.  It seems people just don’t want to take the time to get to know God. He’s there when we need Him but until then, a weekly sermon seems sufficient for most so-called Christians.

We cannot know anyone without spending time with them and that includes God. Our relationship with the Holy God is the most important relationship we can or will ever have.... now and forever.

If we don’t take the time to get to really know Him, He is not going to know us when it really counts. (Matthew 7:21-23 - go ahead, look it up, use your Bible!) We speak to Him in prayer and He speaks to us through His Word. It’s sad that Christians, for the most part, have chosen to settle for much less and think it’s acceptable to God.

NEXT POST: Take the Test... Are You a Lazy Christian?