Some people read Exodus 14:14, which says “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still,” and simply kick back not wanting to do anything, and they can find all manner of excuses to be lazy.
But true faith is never lazy. In fact, unless faith works, it’s not of Christ because faith in Jesus will lead to grace that works for us and grace that causes us to work.
Lazy Christians. I don’t think God ever wanted those two words to be in the same sentence, but the reality is that there are a lot of Christians today who choose to be lazy – lazy at work, lazy with their faith, lazy with their relationships.
Proverbs 6:6 says this: “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”
What God is basically saying here is if you struggle with laziness, it’s time to start doing something.
We have a God who makes all things work together for our good, but if we think that we are now just to do nothing, we’re mistaken. God gives His grace not to spoil us to the point of inactivity, but to enable us to go and pursue His purpose- loving Him and loving others. If by anything, laziness is broken by the grace of God.
Genesis 1:28 tells us about the first time God brought work to man: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” It started of with God’s blessing and grace, but then after endowing man with that blessing, He then commands Adam to use that blessing to be fruitful.
The grace of God does not produce idleness. It, in fact, enables us to pursue fruit and transformation, giving us both the ability and the will power to do something with this life. Though short compared to the eternity we will spend with God, this life is valuable and meaningful and God wants us to pursue a purpose with it.
I refuse to believe that God produced human beings with the intent of merely making them consumers. We were made to be producers of good and the grace of God empowers us to do just that. The grace of God grants us mercy that is new every morning so that we could get a head start to what God wants to do to you today. The grace of God is what makes you want to jump to your feet when that alarm hits off and start being a blessing to others as soon as possible.
The fruit of the Spirit is not laziness. We do not respond to God’ grace by kicking back and letting Him do all the work. We are called to participate, not because God needs our help, but because we have the privilege of helping the hardworking God whose image and likeness we were made in.
Apostle Paul in Phil 4: 13 said he could do all things through Christ who strengthens him. He was a man who was committed to doing the work of God’s kingdom, not sitting idle. In turn God’s grace and strength was made sufficient to him. Paul didn’t have the easiest time going about his business, but God’s grace always saw him through and made him one of the most productive followers of Jesus the world has ever known. Christians today must have the Apostle Paul mind set of going out to do amazing things by God’s amazing grace. Laziness destroys, but hard work builds up and makes us champions and rulers.
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