Are you bored? Does your life have purpose? Are you being a good steward with your time, talent and treasures? Or do you find yourself bored with Life, Work and your Existence?As I continue to process and reflect on the recent ActLikeMen conference that they had in Indianapolis, IN, one statement that was made by one of Speakers was, "A bored man at home is a very dangerous thing." This is true on so many levels that I decided to do some searching through Scripture on this: 2 Timothy 2:22 ESV “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
Some Causes of Boredom:
1) Over stimulated (television, computers, social media, travel-clubs, activities that take us away from fellowship and community with God)
2) Avoidance - (we disconnect and avoid being committed to a relationship, to a job and to friends)
3) Under Committed (we do not follow through with our relationships with 1) God 2) Our Spouse 3) Our Children 4) Our Church 5) Our careers 6) Our neighbors)
4) Too Busy
5) Lack of Conviction
6) No Contentment
7) No identity
When I think about this statement I came to the realization that I am a father of three young children ranging from 6 to 10 years of age. As an active man, I find myself being very active in work, church and community (between being a husband, father, elder, men's ministry leader, friend, partner so many more facets in my life). I used to feel really guilty about being tired and feeling like I cannot keep up with the daily jaunts of this life, however, at the conference, I find that it is good for a man (spiritual leader) to be the tired. That means that we are doing our job as long as we can: 1) Put God first 2) We read his Word daily 3) We pray 4) we have accountability 5) We engage our family 6) We continue to pursue our wives and children. Does this mean that we always get these priorities straight? What if we are just beginning this journey to turn it around?
Do not be discouraged no matter what. Your identity is no longer in yourself (if you profess the name of the Lord Jesus), rather, you are a son of God. We are all adopted and engrafted into his family. Do not buy the lies of society. Read and learn and memorize the word of God. Our hope is not in the things of this world. Our hope is in our God. So if you read this and you find yourself bored then take action. Get off the couch and stop just being (settling), instead realize that God has a purpose for each of us.
STARTING POINT:
1) Check your attitude at the door (we are not here to serve ourselves and our wants and our treasure, we are hear to use of gifts of time, talent and treasure to honor God and to serve Jesus)
2) Change your attitude
-
Say goodbye to the ideology that you can't
- Say goodbye to the ideology that you are too tired
- Say hello to the word "yes" with your wife and kids
- Say hello to spending more and more time with your wife and kids instead of doing what you want to do
- Say hello to your second shift (serve your wife and family - be the spiritual leader that God calls us to be)
3) Live each day like it is your last
4) Be thankful for the gifts that God has given us as men (borrowed from the move The Ultimate Gift)
- Gift of Work
- Gift of Money
- Gift of Friends
- Gift of Learning
- Gift of Problems
- Gift of Family
- Gift of Laughter
- Gift of Dreams
- Gift of Giving
- Gift of Gratitude
- Gift of a day
- Gift of Love
5) Be passionate
- About God
- About Jesus
- About The Spirit
- About your wife
- About your kids
- About your church
- About your work
- About your friends
- About your neighbors
- About your community
6) Persevere
-
James 1 (ESV) Greeting 1 James, a servant[a] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
Testing of Your Faith 2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass[c] he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[d] 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
7) Live by these words:
-
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (ESV) 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,[a]for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."
- Colossians 3:17 (ESV) 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
8) Finish Well - live life so that when you die you will hear our Savior say, "well done thou good and faith servant!"
What are some of your thoughts on this?
Let us know,
D