Sloth

We make thousands of choices every single day. Some are difficult and others are mindless repetitive acts that we tend to forget about moments later. I believe for the most part everyone has a fundamental “gut” feeling of right versus wrong. However, whether or not we choose to listen to our gut is an entirely different story.

Advances in technology continue to make our lives easier - if not more complex, all at the same time. Universal remote controls, voice recognition software, all in one web browser/cell phone/video and mp3 players, home networks and having access to virtually unlimited amounts of information simply by “Googling”.

I’m not against advances in technology, as a matter of fact its part of what I do on a daily basis. But, I do feel that our lives continue to become easier by the decade. Things were easier in the 90’s than they were in the 80’s, and the 80’s were easier than the 70’s…and so on it goes.

So what does this have to do with the sin of Sloth or God for that matter? Sometimes these advances make our lives so much easier that we become conditioned and even dependent upon them. This causes us to do less, think less, act less, pray less and even care less...because quite frankly, we don’t have to do what people had to 20 or 30 years ago to get by. Things are easier now, whether we like to admit to it or not.

So, what would your life be like if it were fully dependent upon God? Only you can answer that question – but I can tell you that once you turn that corner and give everything you have to Jesus…your life will change. God always hears our prayers and knows our needs and desires before we ask. As we have become so dependent upon TV, DVRs, wireless internet, and cell phones – so should we become dependent upon God. For in the end, this is all that truly matters. Trust me…no ones going to bury you with your cell phone, Blackberry or laptop. At the end of the Age these things will become irrelevant, as these are the things of men, not the things of God.

Okay – with that said, there a lot of different ways to outline the sin of sloth. I’ve given it some thought and decided that the following comments taken from http://www.whitestonejournal.com/ sum it up in terms that most of us can relate to.

Here are Whitestone’s comments…

But I Do Lots of Stuff!

Most people think of sloth as laziness, not doing much of anything, but just sitting around doing nothing. Many people stay busy most of the time but don't do the things they should, putting them off for later. They may be staying busy so they have an excuse.
Sloth (or acedia) is a kind of spiritual laziness (as opposed to mere physical fatigue or depression). It means not making it a priority to do what we should, or change what we should in ourselves. Some people might call it apathy, which means a lack of feeling.

An example might be a parent that always sends their child to bed early so they can have lots of quiet time to play solitaire or watch TV. Perhaps they could let the child stay up a little later and play a game with them or read. Or perhaps they always tell their child "no!" without taking the trouble to explain why...

Another example could be someone active in a political movement. Perhaps they don't bother to read other opinions and so never question whether their group is right or wrong. As a result, they could support some very wrong beliefs, such as racism, because they never tried to find the truth.

In business, some people never check into the laws to see if their practices are illegal. For Christians, we sometimes don't really want to know what the Bible (or our Church) teaches about something, so we put off reading or asking about it. Sloth is quite possibly the main reason why people don't read good spiritual books. They will read Christian fiction or some odd Gnostic gospel instead that "tickles their ears," but never the ones that could call them to action: loving their neighbor, helping the poor, telling the truth.

Lastly, there might be a student who naturally picks everything up with very little effort. Instead of learning more than required, or doing volunteer work, they might just sit around getting high or gossiping. Not because it is fun, but because they just don't care.

It should be noted that vices often are disguised as virtues. So sloth is often disguised as calmness, serenity, keeping a level head, open mindedness, etc... If sloth is the reality, people will get very defensive…or maybe not if the problem is sloth, as it is too much effort to defend it.

"His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?"

Matthew 25:26

Final Thoughts –

To sum things up sloth is just plain laziness - spiritually, mentally and physically. A person like this wants nothing to do with responsibility, in fact, they’ll ignore it and will often place blame on others even when they’ve “dropped the ball”. Typically, where you find sloth, you will also find gluttony not far behind. Sloth fills the heart with actions of deceit, lies, excuses and deceptions.

“Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless man goes hungry.”

Proverbs 19:15

The opposing virtue against sloth is zeal. “Zeal is the energetic response of the heart to God’s commands." Have joy and passion in serving not only the Lord, but your fellow man as well.

I'll leave you with this passage from Mark.

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mark 10:42-45

May God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Gluttony

Just about everyone I know enjoys food…and this blogger is no exception. We tend to eat far more than what we require for survival. Then why do we overindulge? I don’t know the answer to that question. What I can tell you is that it gives a lot of people satisfaction or even pleasure. Food and drink are comforting to our bodies. Food gives us energy, vitality, peace of mind, and allows us to carry on with our day to day activities.

So what exactly is Gluttony? Gluttony is the opposite of temperance. Basically, temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and allows a person’s desires to stay within reasonable balance. Gluttony, however, will take a desire to the next level and will do so in a very excessive manner.

This is what it boils down to - The sin of gluttony is pleasure in excess. It is a great desire for something – very similar to greed, but not necessarily from a materialistic standpoint. Gluttony is more of an addiction.

Also, gluttony doesn’t always simply translate into the realm of food. You can be a glutton in many other ways.

Have you ever heard the term…

“He’s a glutton for work.”

This basically means that someone works all the time and is so engrossed in working that they have no other priorities in life.

Gluttony may also translate to excessive entertainment or the like. An example would be a person that sits in front of the TV all day long. Gluttony is much more than gorging oneself on food or drink. It is desire in excess.

Final thoughts –

I think it’s safe to say that when most people think of a glutton they think of someone that eats or drinks in excess. While this has truth to it, just remember there are far more ways for the sin of gluttony to enter your life than via a fork or straw.

One thing that is important to understand is to never pre-judge someone by their looks. What I mean by this is that just because someone is overweight – does not mean they are a glutton. Everyone knows there are numerous factors that attribute to weight gain and retention. Plus it’s not our responsibility to judge others.

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:2

I will say this however…

In no part of the bible (that I’m aware of) did Jesus or his disciples eat or drink excessively, in fact, most of the time they were walking around hungry. The bible mentions the act of fasting on more than one occasion and it would be prudent for us to consider fasting every now and again. For Jesus himself fasted for 40 days in the desert while being tempted by Satan.

Being human, we all have our weak moments where we slip. But we must remember that we eat to live – we should not live to eat. Have temperance, show discipline and you will be rewarded.

Before closing, I’ll leave you with this short passage from Proverbs…

19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and keep your heart on the right path.

20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,

21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Proverbs 23:19-21

May God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Anger/Wrath

When was the last time you got really angry either at someone in particular or at a specific situation? Was it today? Yesterday? Last week?

It doesn’t matter whether it was against someone you love, someone you are acquainted with, or someone you didn't really know. Anger is the enemy of kindness; it is the opposing virtue of patience and compassion.

Anger tends to be a first reaction to things that either we don’t understand or disapprove of. Anger tends to be a defensive mechanism where we “put up our guard” in order to verbally defend ourselves. Or in worse situations, it could be where we aggressively attack someone physically, psychologically, or verbally.

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 10:19

I’m sure you’ve heard something similar to the following…

“That car can go 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds.”

This is often how anger works. Anger can reach dangerous levels in very short periods of time. Many times, it can innocently start out as frustration related to either the proven or perceived faults of others. Frustration that is left “unchecked” can and often will snowball into anger/wrath. Sometimes this emotion might occur immediately, other times it might take a little longer to cultivate in someone’s mind before the devil convinces them to “turn it up a notch.”

Anger and wrath are considered one and the same and Websters online dictionary defines the world wrath as follows:

Forceful, often vindictive anger.

• Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger
• Divine retribution for sin

Ultimately, anger is a decision. How we respond or act in various day-to-day situations stems from both our minds as well as our hearts. If we allow God to give us peace in our hearts, our reactions will be much more benign.

I can think of nothing more fearful than the wrath of God. If you’ve ever read the book of Genesis then you know what I’m talking about. Hint: Remember the great flood?

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

⁹ For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Psalm 37:8-9

Final thoughts –

Very often, anger stems from a self-conflict between our own ideals and those of others…versus the actual situation at hand. No situation can reach a positive outcome through the act of anger. We must attempt to keep our hearts at peace and our actions guided by the word of the Lord. For many of us, our tongue is the most accessible and harmful weapon we have. The hateful words that we mistakenly say to loved-ones often hurts them worse than any dagger or bullet. Be mindful of what you say and how you act to the people you love – as well as those you come in contact with on a daily basis. Each person is in their own unique place with Christ. It is not up to us to judge how strong or weak someone else's faith might be. But, we can do at least two things:

1) Hold our tongues and not partake in sinful “verbal tennis matches” with others. The devil has a front row, mid-court seat when this occurs - and he smiles wickedly at his cunningness.

2) Help others grow in Christ. As I mentioned…each person is in their own unique place with Christ. Help them and speak to them about the goodness of the Lord. Either they will listen or they won’t.

⁹One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.

Acts 18:9

I’ll leave you with this passage from James:

¹⁹My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

James 1:19-21

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Greed

During today’s discussion I’m going to discuss Greed.

Greed is a type of personal enslavement. I say this because greed makes us stray from the path of righteousness. Greed is a desire for more. It might be for more money, fame, or material goods. Greed gets us so caught up in its “process” that we tend to de-prioritize the truly important things in life.

Greed is nothing more than a short-term high. I say this because a greedy person can ever have true happiness. It’s my feeling that those who aspire to be rich have a false sense of reality. Does money truly buy happiness? Can money save you from an illness? Can money change who you are? Can money make you invincible? Of course not.

Money gives you a false illusion of reality. Can it make life easier at times? Sure it can. But the desire to accumulate more is always there. When one is burdened with the desire of greed the job is never done.

Remember the words that Jesus spoke in the story of the Rich Man…

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Mark 10:17-25

Final thoughts –

Most often the desire for power outweighs greed; however, both go hand-in-hand and it would be difficult to have one without the other.

The sin of greed changes who we are and how we treat others. Remember that Jesus was born in a manger. He was not born in a lavish place with warm blankets and an abundance of food. This of course, was the will of God and it teaches us a lesson to trust in his ways and he will take care of us.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

Luke 12:22-26

The opposing virtue of greed is Generosity and I pray that scripture will influence you more than my words. Therefore, I’ll end today’s discussion by sharing with you the Parable of the Rich Fool…

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Luke 12:13-34

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Lust

Lust…for all intents and purposes is a desire or fantasy created in the both the heart and the mind. They are feelings or emotions that are contrary to what God wants us to focus on. Lust takes us out of the present and puts us into an isolated near dream state. Have you ever been sitting around thinking about something and become lost in the moment? Eventually you snap out of it and wonder how much time had passed.

The devil uses lust to gain leverage over our hearts and minds. The devil loathes the Lord and will do everything he can to steer us away from the path of Heaven. He himself is damned and therefore wants to bring as many of God’s children along with him as he can.

The word of the Lord -

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:28-30

Lust can be summed up as the self-destructive drive for pleasure…and each and every time…it is NEVER worth it. There always seems to be great temptation in the beginning, then once an act has been committed, those with conscience become disappointed in their actions. How many of you have ever thought… “What was I thinking?”


Final Thoughts -

Today’s society makes it very easy for all of us to be tempted with the sinful emotion of lust. TV advertisements, commercials, magazines and such are riddled with advertisements and messages of lust, desire, and self-corruption. Look, I’m not saying that watching TV or reading is evil. All I’m saying is that our current society is financially driven. I’m sure that all of you have heard the term “Sex sells.” This could surely be translated into “Lust sells” as lust is the driving force behind this lure.

Personally, I feel as though I once was the devil’s “go to” guy when it came to fulfilling his daily quota of lustful sins. But, I’ll tell you this – I am no longer his puppet and he no longer pulls my strings…and don’t let him pull yours.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1-5

It is clear that lust is a sneaky emotion that creeps up on us when we least expect it. The enemy, the devil, is always on the lookout for new recruits. Be true to yourself and your loved ones. But most importantly be true to God, for He loathes all sin.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:13-15

The virtue opposing lust is self-control. Use it to keep your soul from suffocating under this deadly sin.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Envy

Envy...it is the sinful desire to possess something that you do not have. It is most commonly associated with the desire to possess something that someone else already has. It is a self centered wish, want, or craving for something that God has decided that you are not ready for…or may, in fact, never be ready for.

Have you ever said to yourself, “that person is lucky, I wish that I could be like him or her.” Or thought…“Wow, did you hear about the house that XYZ bought?!”

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Proverbs 14:30

Envy might also cast evil into ones heart by producing jealousy. Just like envy, jealously can lead to anger and sinful actions. We must all be mindful of the random yearnings of our hearts. If God wills it – then it will be so. If God does not will it – then it will not be so. Amen.

I would dare to say that no one has walked the path of life without running into the sin of envy on more than one occasion. Envy probably could be considered a common human emotion. Unfortunately, some people take it to the extreme and become obsessed over achieving or obtaining this or that. Those that read scripture and fear the Lord tend to be more aware of this emotion, as it is mentioned in numerous passages in the bible.

We should all be thankful for the blessings that God has provided to us. We have food, clothing, a home and God willing, our health. Aren’t these truly the basic necessities for human survival? Last time that I checked, having a Jaguar or multiple fancy sports cars in the driveway doesn’t change man's basic necessities.

We all were born with nothing and will take nothing with us when we die.

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad;

my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs: 23:15-17


Final thoughts –

Let us give thanks to the Lord every single day for the things that we have. There is a reason that we do or do not have certain “possessions” or have achieved a certain "status." We may not always understand the reason(s), but that is okay. We must remove the sinful emotion of jealousy and envy from our hearts…as we will gain nothing by carrying this burden with us.

The opposing virtue against envy is Love.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

John 13:34 (Jesus at the Last Supper)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Pride

Pride is widely considered to be one of the most serious of the 7 deadly sins. Pride also seems to be one of the first sins ever committed. One of the most widely documented examples of the sin of pride started with the devil himself.

Lucifer was created a Cherub (a mighty angel – and the same class of angel as the one that guarded the Garden of Eden) by the will of God and he was said to be both a powerful and beautiful angel. Before long, Lucifer became so self-absorbed with his power, beauty, and intellect that he desired the throne of God for himself. Of course, he and numerous other betraying angels failed in their attempt to take over the throne of the almighty God and thus the lot was cast out of heaven forever. The sin that corrupted Lucifer was that of pride.

Pride includes actions such as self-absorption, arrogance, conceit or boasting. It is the act of putting yourself first over others. It is also the act of high-mindedness. Pride and vanity are similar in that you care only for yourself and it’s “all about you.”

Example: Let’s say you come home from work and immediately go and get something to eat out of the fridge. You don’t bother to ask your spouse or loved ones if they would like something – you just know that it’s been a long day and you’re hungry. This is one simple example of the self-absorption component of pride that I am referring to. Pride is also the concept of thinking that you look or ‘are’ better than other people. This certainly was not the way that Christ acted when he was on earth. Nor is this the way he wants or expects us to act.

Also, beware of pride within the hearts others. If you see someone who exhibits a great deal of vanity or pride – do not allow them to bother you. How many times have you heard either you or someone else say…“well at least I’m not as bad as so and so.” Beware of making comparison statements such as these. For in doing this, we also are at risk of sin.

Think about the word PRIDE for a moment – isn’t it interesting how the letter “I” sits directly in the middle of the word?

Humility and charity are virtues that oppose pride. Be mindful of these and be on guard when times get tough. The devil is always on the lookout to inspire your heart to sin.

Passage:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

James 4:13-18


Final thoughts –

The one thing that I learned while researching the sin of pride was that I unconsciously find myself doing many of these things. It hasn’t been as much the vanity part as it has been self-absorption.

The many lessons that I’ve learned from this sin is to be mindful of being arrogant, putting myself first, and to remain humble. This becomes especially difficult if you’ve never had to think about this before - much less act on it. But for me, change is not only necessary, it is mandatory.

Therefore, be mindful of the sin of pride. Be aware of all the bad characteristics, behaviors, actions, etc. that makeup pride. For many of us (including myself) this becomes a daily struggle to combat the endless tidal waves of temptation.

Although my personal struggle with pride is great, I have faith. Because with the Lord, all things are possible. And I pray that he helps me to overcome my weaknesses and earthly temptations.

With that being said, I'll leave you with this passage from Isaiah:

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.

I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

Isaiah 13:11


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

7 Deadly Sins Intro

This is an introduction to a 7 part series of postings where I’ll be discussing the 7 deadly sins. The 7 deadly sins are also known as “capital sins” and I will address each of them in individual posts.

The7 Deadly Sins: (in no particular order)

1. Pride
2. Envy
3. Lust
4. Greed/Avarice
5. Anger/Wrath
6. Gluttony
7. Sloth

I feel that it is important remain aware of these on a daily basis. Anyone of us is at risk of committing 1 or all 7 at virtually any moment. Look over the list…from where I’m sitting it wouldn’t be hard to commit any of these. The devil has made it easy for us to sin and he wants to keep it that way.

As I have stated in the previous Saint Valentine posting – the road to Heaven is not an easy journey. However, I’d rather live 30 to 70 some years giving glory to God and running into bumps in the road, rather than to dimiss His word and be tormented in Hell for an eternity. This might sound a bit blunt, hardcore, or even over the top - but this is no joking matter, at least not for me, and I hope you feel the same way. If not, I’ll try convincing you otherwise throughout all of the subsequent postings.

Lastly, I also think that we tend to forget about the importance of the 7 deadly sins – perhaps because they might get overshadowed by the 10 Commandments. I am not comparing the 7 deadly sins to the 10 Commandments. What I am saying is that we must remain cognizant of both, if we truly want to maximize our relationship with God, follow his word, and have a chance to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

I’m really pumped up about learning more about these and sharing my thoughts with you.

Up Next – The 7 Deadly Sins.









God bless you.

And this is for His Glory!