{"id":14344,"date":"2007-07-30T13:58:17","date_gmt":"2007-07-30T13:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2007\/07\/30\/day29\/"},"modified":"2007-07-30T13:58:17","modified_gmt":"2007-07-30T13:58:17","slug":"day29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/day29\/","title":{"rendered":"The Case For Diligence"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Go to the ant, you sluggard;<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

\n

consider its ways and be wise!<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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It has no commander,<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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no overseer or ruler,<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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yet it stores its provisions in summer<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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and gathers its food at harvest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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How long will you lie there, you sluggard?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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When will you get up from your sleep?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Character Check<\/strong>\nHow can I cut down on my busyness and yet be more fruitful?<\/p>\n\n

In Business Terms<\/strong>\nFor a long time, I didn’t understand the spiritual significance of sloth. I thought it was simply a matter of developing better work habits, becoming more motivated, or working harder or smarter.<\/p>\n\n

A billion-dollar cottage industry-the motivational market-has emerged precisely because we no longer understand the true significance of sloth and hence don’t know how to respond to it. We go from motivational speaker to seminar to book to tape, as if we were basketballs with slow leaks trying to find someone or something to pump us up, to counteract our tendency to deflate.<\/p>\n\n

The Bible doesn’t call us to be more motivated or more productive workers. The relevant image in Scripture is fruitfulness. Not busyness. Not even productivity.<\/p>\n\n

A godly person, the Bible says, is like a tree planted by rivers of living waters. Trees are not frenzied or frantic. They do not attend seminars on “releasing the redwood within them.” They do not consume vast amounts of caffeine to keep up their adrenaline. Trees are unhurried. They are full of activity, though most of it is unseen. Mostly, a tree knows from where its nourishment comes. It is deeply rooted. It is not easily distracted. A tree has learned to abide.<\/p>\n\n

Abiding in Christ is the great antithesis to sloth. Abiding is effort-filled but is the place of nourishment and renewal.<\/p>\n\n

—John Ortberg<\/p>\n\n

Something to Think About<\/strong>\nYou become stronger only when you become weaker. When you surrender you will to God, you discover the resources to do what God requires.\n– Erwin Lutzer<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[2030],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[156],"tax_ctp_tags":[3430,3535,4498,4688,5046,5049],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-14344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-john-ortberg","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-application","tax_ctp_tags-busyness","tax_ctp_tags-motivation","tax_ctp_tags-preaching","tax_ctp_tags-spiritual-formation","tax_ctp_tags-spiritual-growth"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nThe Case For 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