As we anxiously await the return of Jesus Christ, we are left in this world seeking righteousness. The source of the Word of God comes from the Church and the work that they are performed to do. If we are to quench our thirst for truth, we need to support the work through our offerings.
Eric Rank
It Takes Practice
What does it take to overcome and remove sin in our lives? When we are successful in correcting our behavior to become more righteous, what more do we need to do?
LGD 2017: Giving God our Best
When we have the opportunity to give back to God, how do we express our thanks? Do we give Him the best of ourselves, as he gives to us?
FOT 2017: Justice for All
It is comforting to know that the plan of God offers every single person who has ever lived a fair chance at salvation. The claim that unbelievers in this age will be condemned without ever having a chance to understand the truth is simply false. God’s plan extends justice and fair judgment to everyone.
FOT 2017: Why Firstfruits?
The millennial period is a particularly special time for those who are converted before the return of Christ. During this period, these individuals, who are referred to as “firstfruits” will be resurrected, glorified, and rule kingdoms under the leadership of Jesus Christ before others have an opportunity to do so. Knowing that this will come to pass, why does the plan of God involve firstfruits in the first place? What purpose does it serve to have a first resurrection?
FOT 2017: Practical Prayer
Prayer is one of the most important tools that we need to use in our Christian lives. What can we do to make the practice of prayer truly useful, rather than a mere utterance of words into the void?
Blessings
God offers blessings that are contingent on obedience. Any blessing that we may have in our lives is a direct result of God’s generosity. On the commanded Holy days, we are instructed to bring an offering that reflects our gratitude for the blessings that we have received.
Find Peace
In a world where conflict at every scale demands attention, it is a relief to find a source of enduring peace. How can we find peace in our lives to overcome our struggles?
That Your Joy May Be Full
Seeking and finding happiness is a fundamental force in life, but how can this compulsion be satisfied? Where can true and lasting joy be found? The good news is that complete joy is attainable to all who choose to answer God’s calling.
When Busy is Lazy
I read a book recently, which made the claim that being busy can be a common form of laziness. At first, this claim appears contradictory. How can someone who’s truly active and busy with work be considered lazy?
If laziness is characterized by being slow to take action, to put off responsibilities and procrastinate, then being busy with relatively unimportant activities becomes a means of distraction, and an ally of laziness. It is deceptive to be busy with inconsequential work because the state of activity allows us to falsely justify putting off other work that is more important. By crowding a schedule with activities and taking on unnecessary responsibilities, we might be putting off the most important use of our time – to develop fruits of righteousness and grow in our spiritual understanding of the Truth.
There may always be dishes to wash, laundry to do, other regular chores and jobs that warrant our attention, but that doesn’t mean that we need to be active in doing those things with every waking moment. We must be certain to set aside time to dedicate to more weighty, spiritual matters. In Luke 10:38-42 we read about when Jesus was visiting Mary and Martha. Martha is described as being “distracted with much serving.” Jesus admonished her to not be worried about those matters at that time, but to take time to learn about the more important things that He was discussing with her sister, Mary. This is a perfect example of laziness in the form of being busy. There is a time and a place for being busy with serving, but it should not take priority over our spiritual development.
Unfortunately, conditions have not improved since Martha’s time to reduce the amount of work that needs to be done in this day and age. One might think that advancements in technology would make life easier so that we can live a life that’s entirely dedicated to fruitful, personal development. Nothing could be further from the truth; we have no shortage of distractions to keep us busy today. The world has very much to offer in the way of being busy with new, important things that could turn our attention away from spiritual development.
There are consequences to falling into this trap, however. The parable of the sower describes how individuals, like you and I, receive the Word of God in the context of different circumstances. One of the conditions that Jesus describes is about thorny ground. In Matthew 13:22 He provides the interpretation, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” The consequence of staying busy with worldly activity is to become unfruitful spiritually. When we allow the cares of the world to distract us and keep us busy, we put our ability to bear spiritual fruit at risk.
If we are serious about our calling to be children in the Family of God, we cannot be lazy. That means that activities that keep us busy, preventing us from bearing fruit, need to find their proper place. What is more important, and perhaps more challenging, is our need to focus on working in those areas of our life that we might be putting off. Do we have difficult problems that need to be overcome? Is it hard to figure out what step to take first? For many of us, the answer to these questions is “Yes”. When we encounter obstacles that are difficult to work on, we need to fight the urge to be busy with something that feels productive, and work on that which will bear fruit instead.
It is the difficult work that we are called to do. In Hosea 10:12 we read, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Those places in our lives that do not receive attention – the untilled, fallow ground – are what need to be worked on. By being busy in the areas in our lives that might take extra effort, we find new ways to bear even more spiritual fruit and overcome the laziness of busy-ness.