Hardworking Vs Reluctant Christians

Read : Proverbs 13

 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
(KJV Proverbs 13:4)

The book of Proverbs is full of wise instructions on how to live our life as a Christian. I encourage you to read the whole Proverbs 13. But I want to focus on one matter today. 

There are 2 types of Christians : The "hardworking" ones and the "reluctant" ones. I am in no position to say which one will enter the Kingdom of God and honestly I do not know. Because I am not a God. But I know one thing, God will ask us to present or give account of what we did while we are on Earth.

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Romans 14:12

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 
Romans 14:10

No one has the right to condemn or judge "reluctant" Christians. YOU, once were like that, but you were saved regardless by Jesus by PURE GRACE. If even Jesus overlooked our sins, laziness, idolatory, when He forgives us, how can we, who are the same human beings as every single one on Earth, have the cheek to judge or look down on our brothers and sisters?

We should not think of ourselves higher than others. In fact, we have to put on a cloth of humility every single moment. We are the servant of God, and we are called to serve the people around us. When we are prideful, we are preventing new knowledge to come to us. That is dangerous, very dangerous. That is what happens to people who keeps on praying but there is no answer, at least that's what they thought. When you have not proclaim that you want to break your pride and be humble, there is no way you can hear the Spirit's guidance and teaching. So, doing self-reflection daily is important. 

No one can ask you to change the state of your spiritual maturity. What I mean is that, when you have little desire for God, you will tend to do other things more often. For example, instead of reading the Bible in your spare time, you watch a drama series instead. No one will be able to stop you from watching your drama series. There is no point in asking you to stop watching and start reading. It has to come from your within. 

If you are struggling with the above situation, pray to God to give you a new Spirit and a new heart that desire His knowledge and His presence. Ask God to let you experience Him. We are mere human, we need to see something or experience something in order for us to believe. Just admit our shortcomings to God and ask God for divine intervention to give us a heart and spirit that is willing to follow Him. 

If you are burdened by someone near to your heart who has the "reluctant" attitude, DO NOT force them to read the Bible, do not force them to go to Church, do not force them to stop watching drama series. Instead, pray for the person and ask God to soften their hearts and send someone (it might not be you) to minister to him/her. When you meet them, be genuine with your friendship, after all, what you act and say reflect what you have learned about Jesus. Be a listening ear to them. Be sensitive to them. More often than not, when someone is complaining about something, they are not seeking advice, they are seeking for someone to listen to them and to agree with them. 

Who are the "reluctant" Christians?
The answer is truly subjective. All of us have our daily commitment to fulfill. Someone who work 12 hours a day, have 1 hour of free time, spend 30 minutes reading the Bible and praying. On the other side, someone work 8 hours a day, have 2 hours of free time, spend 30 minutes reading the Bible and praying. Who is more "reluctant"? This question can only be answered by the individual. Everyone has their own struggles in life, have different physical and emotional strength. So only ourselves know whether we are a reluctant or hardworking Christians. There is no benchmarks either. God does not say that you must reach a certain level to enter the Kingdom of God. He simply say that when you believe IN Jesus, you are saved. (Please take note of the difference between "believe" and "believe in").

I want to exhort everyone to pray for a heart and spirit that is zealous for God. DO NOT LIVE AN IDLE LIFE. We know our life here is temporary. Live a full life! When you love God, you will be desperate to do something for God. It all start from your heart, and no one can control our heart, not even us. 

Let's Pray
Dear God, I want to pray to You and ask You to renew and revive my Spirit. Give me a new heart O'Lord. A heart that is zealous for you. Teach me to love you, show me how I can follow you. I want to glorify you with my life. Let my actions and words please You. I do not want to live an idle life. I want to live a purposeful life. Give me the courage to say "Here I am, send me!". You call us to go to all nations to make disciples. Lord, I want to do Your will. I am willing, O'Lord. Work in me, cleanse me, mould me and train me to be Your servant and send me to spread Your word to others in Your due time. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!

Self-Reflect
1. Do you believe that Jesus is the true God or do you believe IN Jesus? If you just believe, but do not follow His Words, quickly acknowledge it and repent. 
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.                                 Matthew 7:21                         
2. What will be the next step that you think you should do in order for you to grow spiritually?

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