Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: Welcome to the Weekday Podcast of Sugar Hill Church, where we desire to help you know God and discover your purpose, whether you're exercising, driving, meditating, or just hanging out while you tune in with us today. Thanks. We hope these next five minutes help you feel encouraged and inspired for your day.
[00:00:22] Speaker A: Hi everybody, and thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. One of my favorite authors, a fellow by the name of Brennan Manning, he made these remarks that I think should stick with us today. He said, one of the most powerful things a follower of Christ can do is skip the status quo.
I just love that line. And where did it come from, the thought about Hebrews 6:12?
We do not want to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Let me read it again. We do not want to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience, inherit what has been promised.
From years of clinical practice, psychiatrist Scott Peck has not only come to believe in original sin, he's given it a precise definition. He calls it laziness.
Prayer becomes a chore rather than a joy.
We drag ourselves out of bed for morning praise. We shuffle off just in a hus and a fissy to Sunday worship with the sacramental slump of the terminally ill. We get a reprieve when the pastor dismisses us with go in peace and endure the tedium of night prayer with stoic resignation. Oh my stars. And we do all that with the promise of this too shall pass.
The enemy who specializes in treacherous disguise is the lazy part of ourselves. Ooh, let me read that again. When Brennan Manning wrote this, I thought it was powerful. The enemy who specializes in treacherous disguise is the lazy part of self, resisting the effort, asceticism, and discipline that a serious life of prayer and godliness demands.
Wow, folks, think about that. The faulty logic of a darkened intellect permits dubious rationalizations like my work is my prayer, or I'm too busy, or I pray only when I feel the prompting of the Spirit.
These are just lame excuses that allow us lazily to maintain the status quo and indefinitely, often postpone the tryst with unconditional love of a father who unconditionally loves us.
From the beginning of time. God's desire was that we would exist in an everlasting relationship with Him. But sin gets in the way of that relationship, friend, especially laziness that sidelines our praise and sidelines our prayer far too often. And let me just stop and say I'm number one in the list.
But could we stop and have this commitment today that we will not be too busy for both.
Lord, would you restore in me and my friends that are sharing in this today the joy of intentional praise and prayer that I can fully lean into your unconditional love.
Amen. Thanks so much folks for joining me on today's weekday podcast. And as you do today, jump into the midst of life and skip the status quo. God bless you. See you next time on the weekday podcast.
[00:03:41] Speaker B: Thanks so much for joining us today for the weekday podcast. Our prayer is that the encouragement you just heard would help you live more like Jesus today. We would love to see you at Sugar Hill Church for one of our gatherings each Sunday at 9, 15 and 11 and we're always streaming live at Live Sugarhill Church. Thanks again for joining us today. As always, if today's message encouraged you, share it with friends and family by tapping the share button. Have an awesome day. Sa.
