LAZINESS REMEDIES

I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content (Philippians 4:11b).

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . (Matthew 28:19a).

I believe one of Newton's laws of motion goes something like this: A body at rest tends to stay at rest. I do not know that anyone has a method of motivating people that works every time, but one thing that every person must do, especially the lazy, is to examine his own philosophy of life, or world-view.  Why should a person work in the first place?  What would the world be like if everyone sat around and procrastinated and waited for the other person to do it?  We would still be living in caves.  In most situations, God answers our prayers through diligent work.

One of the blessings of salvation in Jesus Christ is that we are rescued from the wasted effort and futility of sin.  In Christ, every effort for him counts.  In Christ, it is easier to be diligent because life is now about the Lord, it is not about me.  Diligence is more than persistence; it is working with wisdon and doing a job as well as it needs to be done.*  When one is wise about work it takes less effort; a diligent person, at times, can look kind of lazy.

Defining success is different to those who possess salvation.  The accumulation of wealth is not the primary pursuit of the Christian.  Success is defined by how we serve the Savior.  Our service to the Savior is a team effort as we work with brothers and sisters in Christ to reach out to the lost, the poor, the orphans, the widowed and the abused.  Working is much easier when it is a team effort than it is when one is working alone, and can actually be enjoyable.

My advice for those who battle laziness is to come to a clear understanding of why you need to work and of whom you are working for, Jesus Christ.  As much as possible, team up with someone else, you can accomplish more and it is more enjoyable.  And, work with diligence--that means there will be much less wasted effort.

Grace&Peace,
Tom

*For the obsessive-compulsives, you will drive yourselves nuts if you believe a job has to be done perfectly every time.  It only needs to be done as well as it needs to be.