Dispel Spiritual Lethargy
These days,
some Christians ardently pursue certain hobbies. These hobbies may be quite
healthy, such as sports activities, electronic technology, audio/visual gadgetry,
music, photography, travel etc. Hobbies can ameliorate a stressful life, and
help relieve the tension after a busy workday. But we do not always recognize
that developing these hobbies sometimes brings about negative influences in our
spiritual lives. At first, these hobbies may spawn from interest. Then interest
gradually turns into allure; allure into habit, habit into passion, and then passion
into obsession. In the end, we expend more and more time, money and energy for
these hobbies, and we fall more and more into their control, turn into their
slaves, and they become the idols in our hearts, so that we lose interest in
spiritual matters.
After
conversion, some people are not willing to know the bible. Others are willing
to know the Bible, but ignore obeying God’s word. Some are willing to know and
follow the word of God, but are not cautious and alert in their lives. These
people are all susceptible to falling into the snare of Satan, the king of the
world, becoming ardent adherents of certain earthly hobbies. Paul reminds us, “Never be lacking in zeal (zeal can be interpreted as
earnestness or determination), but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the
Lord.”
(Romans 12:11) If we don’t nurture and develop interest in things related to
God, so that these become the training for a heavenly direction, we will
gradually turn into the people described above, or fall into painful struggle.
If we want
to dispel spiritual lethargy and live a life of heavenly direction so that we
can serve the Lord with fervor, we should start with the following:
1.
Put God first – Before, we did not know God and were slaves
to sin (John 8:34), frequently gratifying the desires of the flesh, seeking and
enjoying the pleasures of iniquity. After receiving the grace of salvation, we
recognize that Jesus Christ is not only the saviour of our souls, but also the
true master of our lives. So we should fear, love and obey Him, offering
ourselves wholly to live to the Lord (Romans 14:7-8).
2.
Not be deceived – We should understand that even those
earthly hobbies that most benefit the body and mind are transient and cannot be
brought into eternity. “The world and its
desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John
2:17) If we continuously nurture and develop our relationship with the Lord,
listen to and act on the Truth, and retain the word of God in our hearts, the
Holy Spirit will help us and the Lord will explicitly abide with us (John
14:23).
3.
Renew your mind – When we come near to God, God will come
close to us. Whoever comes close to God will be attracted by His glory (2
Corinthians 3:16-18), and be lighted, guided and transformed by the Holy Spirit.
If we are humble and submit to the Holy Spirit, the renewing work of God can
then be implemented on our being (Titus 3:5-6) “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
4.
Exhort one another – Christians cannot seek growth alone. We
need the mutual admonition, exhortation, comforting and encouragement of our
brothers and sisters in the church. It helps us be aware of and apprehend our
own blind spots, and is the progression of building up the church (Ephesians
4:16). The intercession of brothers and sisters in prayer and the supplication
and thanksgiving of members in union are all helpful to our dispelling the
domination of earthly hobbies, so that we can experience more of God’s grace
and power.
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