Lethargy I

The following text shall not be totally prepared word of God.Use it as a clue to keep studying the scripture.

Have you ever felt that feeling of complete lethargy? I personally suffer from that. My brain says: “I should again have community with God.”, the heart answers: “No, I don’t have a desire for that; let’s watch TV!” In deed that listlessness is a tremendous danger for our faith existence. Thank God, in the Bible we find a lot of examples of people being sluggish. Paul has to demand following thing from the saints: “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 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. […]11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. (Ro 12:1.2.11 NIV) Though that sentence is worn out: Our whole life shall be service, worship and praise. So why is it like that? Because we don’t belong ourselves anymore; Christ bought us free from the damnation (1 Co 6:20; 1 Pe 1:18.19) For that reason we live for him and shall worship him with our life. And how is that concerned with the sluggishness of coming to God’s Face?

That non-seeking of God is connected with not-bowing under God’s will. The hebrew word “šāhāh” that is translated with worship means bowing down before someone. If we look at 2 Pe 1:5-10, we will see that the will to live a holy life brings more recognition of Jesus. The nearer I move to a thing, the better I will see it. That means that a godly life gives the chance to come closer to God. Doesn’t that sound like christian perfectionism? No, it speaks of the general pursuit of a holy lifestyle; we never will become perfect. But who does not have that movement has jumped on the bandwagon. Beneath, that sanctification is not our task, but that of the Holy Spirit (2 Th 2:13; 1 Pe 1:2). And it is God’s definite will (1 Th 4:3.7; He 12:14), too! In addition, James 4:1-8 reveals the link between sanctivication and the proximity to the father. Let’s go on; in 1 Pe 1:9 we read that those who do not pursue their lives’ hallowing and for that can not anymore see Jesus, walk in the darkness. They also have forgotten that they used to be washed. Istead of this they think it is normal to go on with committing the old sins.

When I look at this connection of holiness and seeking God’s face, it means the live in the proximity to God is the fundamental thing of being a christian. At that point I remember passages in the gospels like Jn 15 or night-lasting prayers of Jesus to his father. We should learn from Jesus who said: “4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (Jn 15:4-8 NIV).

But how can we get rid of that sluggishness? For that we should go back to the starting point. It was about the head that says: “I should again have community with God.”, and the heart that tells “No, I don’t have a desire for that; let’s watch TV!” If we replace “head” by “spirit” and “heart” by “soul” we can see what is going on: Ephesians 3:16 inculcates that we shall “be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (KJV). God’s spirit shall become mighty in us and strengthen our spirit. Therefore we more and more think in God’s standards and sense what is right (Ro 12:1). In opposition to that, soul, that means emotions, thoughts, will and mind defends against subordinating under the spirit, or even the renewing of the soul by change of thoughts and will. In 1 Co 2:13.14 the greek text tells about “mental” people. It is our task to divide both spheres clearly. This can be made by feeding the spirit with the word of God (He 4:13) and being in the abidance of God, for example. It is a hard wrestle between the old and the new human. The largest problem is that we often know what is right but as often as it, we refuse to do it. For me it is encouraging that the great apostle Paul had its troulbes with that: “19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing.[…] 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Ro 7:19.24.25 NIV).

Let us be endowed with Jesus’ grace of being more and more touched by the spirit in the abidance of God. Then we can see his will and become strong to do it. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Pp 2,13 NIV). Hallelujah, this is what gives me courage in that misery! I am totally sure that the steady abidance to God causes the recognition of our Lord, which benefits and is the solve of the problem itself (2 Pe 1:2.3)

I still do not have an idea how that solution looks like, how the sluggishness vanishes, by what it can reappear, etc. I stay tuned.

But one thing is important: Being drawn by God’s love because our whole being only finds peace in him. Well, let’s go to the heavenly home!

Maybe we should’nt concentrate on our own problems and simple let God work in us. 2 Pe 1:3 gives the reason.

I wish you God’s blessing and grace

Lui