The Cost of Authentic Community This first phrase is actually a harsh warning. The literal meaning of “not lagging behind in diligence” is “Don’t be slothful!” or “Don’t be slow or delay in doing something.” People don’t tend to use the word sloth anymore, yet the Bible speaks in very strong terms about the issue of slothfulness or laziness.

Are you that kind of person? Do you honor and give preference to others? It’s amazing how much grace there is to go around when people, from the heart, honestly long for the success of others more than their own. It’s counterintuitive and so unlike the world’s values, but it is refreshing and invigorating when you experience it in relationships.

Slothfulness or laziness is not watching old reruns of television all day as you sit on the couch and eat chocolate bonbons. Laziness is the failure to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. That’s the classic definition of slothfulness or laziness. It’s not that you’re not busy or active; it’s that you are not doing what needs to be

WORTHINESS I am now a righteous person in God’s sight since I have trusted Christ. I am covered by the robe of His purity and goodness. Also, since I have a new nature, I am a good person in my general practice of life as I continue to grow in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). • ISAIAH 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in

So how do we interact with God’s Word in a way that is relationally focused? How do we balance limiting the world’s messages and seductions, but not become isolated, out of touch, religious weirdos? Well, let’s get practical. What does your mental diet look like? What are you putting in your mind? What do you think is the ratio between the amount

Total commitment is the channel through which God’s best and biggest blessings flow.

This is what science calls “metamorphosis.” This unusual word is also used in Mark 9, where it says, “Jesus was transfigured before them.”

After eleven chapters that describe God’s forgiveness, redemption, and indwelling by the Spirit, the text now reveals how our new relationship with Christ gives us a new identity, a new security, and a new and eternal significance. In short order, we learn there is a new way “to think,” a new family “to belong” to, and a new purpose “to fulfill.”

So I spent all my energy doing everything for everyone. My insecurities led me to attempt to fulfill everyone’s expectations.