“Labor Intensive”

Sunday, May 11, 2014

How can I be closer to God?  I tried reading the Bible, but I do not find it interesting; hence, I do not have the motivation to read.  I tried going to church but often failed to wake up (it's also very far from where I'm living).  When the pastor preaches in church, often I realize I am dozing off.  How can I be cleared of all of the above and be a good christian?

Sincerely,
Apathetic

Dear Apathetic,

With all due respect, what if you applied this same logic to your job?  What if you told your employer that you found the tasks required of you at work uninteresting, and, therefore, you weren’t motivated to work?  What if you never showed up to work because you were tired and didn’t wake up?  In any job we’ve ever worked, they would have fired us on the spot!

Christianity is work… that is exactly why a lot of people don’t obey God.  God tells us we must hear and do what His Word says (Jas 1:22).  We do what we love, and we do things for those we love.  If we love God, we will keep His commandments (Jhn 14:15).  It is a myth that all christians love to go to services and love to read their Bibles.  The truth is that every faithful christian we know has had to work very hard to build the habits of attendance, study, and active participation in the Lord’s work.  It is a lifelong commitment.  The apostle Paul compares it to physical training.  An athlete exercises their body to win the race, even when they are tired or in pain… we need to do the same with our spiritual exercise (1 Cor 9:24-27).  We would be happy to get you in contact with a congregation near you that can help you commit to the Lord’s service.  Not all churches are faithful to God’s Word.  Read “The Pastor Problem” for details on why churches led by a single pastor aren’t following the Bible pattern.  There is nothing more important than your spiritual health – your eternity depends upon the choices you make here (Matt 7:13).

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