BBD 05.14.03 Risky Business
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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05.14.03
Risky Business
He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great
estroyer. - Proverbs 18:9.
Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer
unger. - Proverbs 19:15.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace. - Romans 8:5-6.
In Hamburg, Germany a 63-year-old man was hoisted out of his apartment by a
38.5-ton crane. The man had to go to the hospital but when you weigh 660
pounds that may not always be easy to do. Ten firemen first lifted the man
onto a hospital bed, which was inside of a large industrial container. The
container was then lowered to the ground by the crane. A fire brigade
spokesman said, "Because the man was so heavy, we couldn't carry him on one
of the normal stretchers, so we had to use the crane."
We have to wonder if the 660-pound man ever thought it would come to this?
At what point did his weight become a handicap, which prevented him from
even being able to leave his apartment? His weight had become his jailer.
Although we don't know for sure the cause of his great weight (Some have
glandular problems which are beyond their control.) most likely physical
inactivity contributed or aggravated his condition. Without outside
intervention his physical condition would have eventually resulted in his
physical destruction.
What tragically happened in the life of the 660-pound man is a picture or
vision of what happens to the Christian through spiritual inactivity or
laziness. When spiritual laziness continues over the course of weeks,
months, and years the result is an atrophy of our spiritual life. It is
then hard for us to even think in terms of spiritual things and if we allow
are minds and heart to dwell on fleshly worldly things to the exclusion of
the spiritual the result will be "death (Romans 8:5-6)."
Spiritual well being requires continual maintenance. Our spiritual food is
needed on a daily basis just as is physical nourishment. "Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God
(Matthew 4:4)." Your daily focus must be on your Lord (Hebrews 12:3) and
the things of God (Matthew 6:33). To skip a day of walking (spending time
in His Word, prayer, and service) with your Lord is to have a day of
spiritual atrophy. It is a dangerous thing! How many days does it take
before your focus has changed from being set on what the spirit desires to
what the sinful nature desires?
Once you have reached and cross the point of having your focus taken off of
the spiritual and placed on the physical how long will it take to return?
Most likely it will take us much longer than we had planned and we may or
may not ever regain the fervor for our Lord that we once had. Before you
decide you're just going to skip praying today, skip reading His Word, skip
having that quiet time with the Lord today - think. Think of how great the
cost is from changing the direction of your life from "life and peace" to
that of "death." That is indeed risky business.
Copyright © 2003. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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