Proverbs 22:13 - The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"
Laziness often leads to being a coward. It is a lack of passion to get up and fight the battles that are in front of us. Laziness is why 1 in 4 teens have done drugs, why 90% of kids between 11 and 16 have looked at pornography, why only 4% of this generation believes in the inerrancy of Scripture, and why the church in America has been silent to long. Sluggards are the millions of "Christian" parents who refuse to develop a relationship with their children and teach them right from wrong, how the Word of God applies to daily life, and the importance of loving oneself and serving others. It is time for a battle cry. It is time to fight the lions and demons outside our doors...to shake the gates of Hell in the name of Jesus. The longer we pretend we are okay, the more likely getting murdered in the streets will become a reality.
Nehemiah 4:14 - “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
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Okay so two entire months of nothing - then bam - three blogs. And no mention of why. I am fascinated as to what in the world spurred this creative burst. And I am bambuzzled by the lack of acknowledgement that you just went 62 days without writing a single word.
What were you doing the entire time?
08/22/06
To Know and to Do
Betsy Childs
It is tempting to assume that humans must choose between an active or a contemplative life. When we sing the words of lofty hymns, I picture those who wrote them as the types who closeted themselves in their libraries, wearing stiff collars and thinking great thoughts. But this is often not the case. Reginald Heber's life is a good example of a one who resisted this dichotomy and lived his faith in thought, word, and deed.
Reginald Heber was born in 1783 to a privileged family in England. He was educated at Oxford, where he won prizes for Latin and English poetry. He then became a vicar in Shropshire, where he enriched his parish ministry by composing hymns to be sung by his congregation.
After sixteen years of ministry in Shropshire, Heber set off to be a missionary in India. He apparently went with reluctance, having twice refused an appointment as Bishop of Calcutta before accepting it. Nevertheless, he threw himself into ministry in India with great fervor. Heber was particularly troubled by the fact that some Christian churches still recognized and abided by the caste system, showing honor to those of higher castes. He vehemently preached against the caste system. He traveled around baptizing new converts and ordaining local ministers.
The tropical climate took a toll on Reginald Heber's health, and after three years in India, he died while on a visit to Trichinopoly. Accounts of his death differ; one says that he died of sun stroke after preaching to a large crowd. Another says that he died of a cerebral hemorrhage while in his bath. His death was greatly mourned, and he was buried there in Trichinopoly.
After Heber's death, several of the hymns he had composed while in England grew popular. The best known was one he composed for Trinity Sunday:
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
I find it heartening that the same man who came to appreciate the doctrine of the Trinity as he pored over theological texts at Oxford lived and died to bring the gospel to polytheists. He who wrote the words, "Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see," fought the darkness of the caste system so that it would not obscure the glory of the God of grace.
In Philippians, the apostle Paul exhorts believers to lead lives that are both active and contemplative: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you" (4:8-9). Our experience of God through worship, prayer, and study should spur us on to experience Him by living out our faith in the world. Academics should not stay in ivory towers, and those who minister in very practical ways should take time away to reflect on the mysteries of God.
I say this not to add one more item on your list of things to do; if contemplation becomes one more task for the active life, or if practical service is done out of guilt, it will not profit us. Rather, we need to see the two as complements designed by God, for our good, to give us the full experience of his grace.
Betsy Childs is associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
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