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Game: Split into two teams.
Each team will give a member of the opposite team an invitation for
a very tempting party/occasion. The opposing team should give the
laziest possible excuse not to accept the invite. The leader can be
a judge who rates the excuses based on the ridiculousness of the
lazy excuses on a scale of 1 to 10. (1=
Very Ordinary excuse, 10= Highly ridiculous excuse).
The team, which scores the most on ridiculousness, wins.
1) Opening Question: Tell me about a situation you felt most lazy about at some point in life. You can describe an incident where you or somebody known to you acted very lazily.
2. Proverbs 24:30-34
30 I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--
34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
3) Who would like to describe the looks of a sluggard?
Dozy eyes, very sleepy, unkempt hair, crumpled clothes, oily face etc…
4) Tell the joke about that laziest person competition.
Once there was a king who wanted to find out the laziest person in his kingdom and give him a gift. So he gave a call to all the lazy stalwarts in the kingdom and all of them were assembled in his court. The king asked the lazy audience a question. “Who is the most lazy person among you?” Everybody in the crowd raised his hand except one person. So the king asked him why he didn’t raise his hand. He replied “I’m too lazy to lift my hand”. And he got the laziest person award.
5) How many of you think that a sluggard is a wise man? Why? / Why not?
6) All of you know about a field and what is to be done to get a good crop, right?
What happens to the field if you leave it without any activity?
Vs 31. Thorns and weeds would grow in it. So what is the harm?
They won’t let the good plants to grow and they would eventually die.
7) What is the stone wall around a field for?
To protect the crop from the animals and may be neighbors also.
8) What happens when somebody neglects his field and does not take care of it?
Vs 34 Disaster strikes and the man will be poverty-stricken even before he realizes and wakes up from his slumber. He will not have enough to eat and enough to feed his family
9) Now we have seen how physical laziness can lead to a disaster and lead to poverty even before the sluggard realizes it.
This is very easy to understand. But this is not really the dangerous thing, because most of us guard against this form of laziness and we ensure that we have something to eat and we earn some money to spare for other needs.
We basically take care of our jobs. Well if there is anybody who does not take care of his job also, u better take warning and get your financial life straight.
But the real danger is here. Its called spiritual laziness.
Now a field can be compared to our spiritual lives.
11) What can the land be compared to? Our hearts.
If a person is spiritually lazy what would he do?
Vs 33 Will say I'll be in bed for some more time. A little sleep, a little folding of the hands etc.
He'll basically postpone his decision to seek God. How do we do that?
Let me be old. After 50 years I'll consider God. Let me enjoy a little more. Let me tell a few more lies. Let me lust for some more time. Let me be immoral for some more time. Let me cheat and make money for some more time?
12) What are some of the thorns in spiritual life?
Life's worries - oh what will happen to my job, what will people think of me?
Riches - I want to make money now, achieve so many things in life. I'll think of God later.
Pleasures - I have to enjoy now. This is my prime time. Let me get married, let me have kids, let them grow, let me get them settled, get them married of... but alas, you get old and time to leave the world, to meet the devil in hell. You expect to go to heaven?
13) And what are the weeds in spiritual life?
Sin in life. What are they? List
The character that warns us and shields us from evil.
15) What happens when this wall is broken?
The little faith gets eaten away by hungry enemies like immorality, anger, lust, cheating etc.
You give in to every kind of temptation - to lust, to lie, to cheat, to steal or may be you'll feel like murdering
16) What would happen to such a person?
Vs 34. Before he realizes he would go far away from God into a deep spiritual mess and he would finally perish in hell.
We've seen what a sluggard is like?
Let's quickly discuss what a good farmer would do.
If anybody has a field what should he do?
* If the land is hard, you got to plough it and make sure it becomes soft.
* Then you have to sow seeds in it.
* Then you have to water it
* You have to remove the thorns in the field.
* Separate the weeds and throw them out.
* Then you have to add manure to it.
* Then you should build a fence around it so that the crop is protected from all other hazards like goats, etc. At times you might have to use pesticides too.
17) What is the seed that you need to sow to have a good spiritual life?
The word of God, the Bible.
18) How do you water it?
Pray to God so that you can grow in him
19) What kind of a fence would you put and what would it protect from?
Alertness, readiness to be righteous. Eagerness to build a good character.
Exercise of self-control.
Have a circle of friends who could always warn you and correct you.
It would then protect you from all kinds of temptations – To lust, lie etc
20) Now what is the result of being a good spiritual farmer?
Reap a plentiful crop. Lead a happy life. Go to heaven and see to it that others reach it too.
I want each one of you to ask yourself this evening.
How is your life today?
Are you physically lazy?
Are you spiritually lazy?
Are you actively seeking God or are you putting off the decision to seek him to a later date?
As of today if you have to leave the world, are you sure u can be with God in heaven?
Thanks for coming and participating. We’ll finish with a word of prayer.
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