1Thess 4:11 “that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (NKJV)
“Boring” gets a bad rap now days. Our lives lack routine and the secure comfort of knowing what each day will bring to a reasonable degree. A recent trip to Guatemala and observing the slower pace of life really reminded me of this truth.
We are constantly bombarded with advertising, entertainment, famous people and books about how you “only live life once”; get all you can get; be all you can be; take life by the throat; go for the gusto. We, and especially our children, are brainwashed everyday by the media and advertisers into believing a high-speed, shoot-from-the-hip, follow-your-dreams, party-all-the-time lifestyle is the only way to enjoy life (note: you’ll notice that it almost always involves spending money with whoever is telling you to “go for it”… hmmm).
The result is a world of people who are too busy, burned out, frantic, stressed-out and insecure; generally unhappy and discontent; distracted from a life-long gaze at Christ, which ironically will produce the very contentment and richness in life they are seeking. A more tragic result is that we fill our lives with rapid-fire activity and God gets relegated to a quick 10 minutes in the morning, or right before bed… if He’s lucky.
Boring is good. Routine brings stability.
Routine brings peace. A slower life brings security.
Knowing what to expect promotes relaxation.
Routine also makes the “adventurous” moments all the more sweeter. We have become such pleasure-junkies that it takes an ever increasing infusion of adrenaline and “experiences” to keep us “happy”. One of the greatest hindrances to spiritual growth, and consequently to fighting sin in your life, is a lack of routine in life.
What kind of routine? A routine schedule: when you go to bed, when you wake up, when you spend time with God, when you work, when you spend time with your family and when you play.
As well, we need to have routine inside our routines. For example, say you have developed a routine time for your spiritual devotions but have no plan or routine for what to do during that time. With no planning, it risks becoming boring and unproductive.
You may have routine “family time” but no plans how to spend it. With no proactive plan on how to use that time, it commonly degrades into watching TV, movies or with everyone just doing something they want to do.
The idea of a slowed-down, easy-paced, “boring” life might be a concept that is just too foreign to strike any reality with people today. STRESS is the buzz word of the day. I know of very few people who are not “too busy” or “stressed out”. There are proabably even fewer people who enjoy a satisfying, fulfilling and consistent Godly life. Is there a connection? I believe the answer is obvious.
A routine and quiet lifestyle is foundational to a solid, consistent walk with God. It promotes spiritual growth. It reduces stress and insecurity. It leaves you with room to deal with crisis’s when they arise. Routine, try it sometime. You might find “boring” is the way to go.
Proverbs 17:1 (NKJV) Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.
In closing, this is one of the lessons I need to end with a bit of clarity. I use “boring” in a slightly humorous way only to compare it to how crazy life has become and how it pushes out our time with God. In reality, a “boring” life, as I describe in this lesson, is an absolutely full, exciting and thoroughly satisfying lifestyle… God’s way..
To the contrary, the “exciting” life offered by the world is merely a spark, a rush, a spike that is temporary, unreliable and quickly fades. A routine, quiet life filled with love, service and God is anything BUT boring in the true sense of the word. It is a life of genuine happiness, complete contentment and thrilling expectation.
Father in Heaven, give us the wisdom and courage to slow down and quit chasing after more, more, more. Help us to understand how a quiet and routine life will alleviate our struggle to find time for You. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Contemplation: Are you too busy? Are you stressed out? Do you have any real time for true relaxation? If someone really needed your help this week, are you so busy that you would stress out trying to find time to help them? Is there any room in your schedule for the “unexpected” needs of others?
Application: Examine your daily activity. Create consistency and routine. Leave room in your schedule to not only spend time with God, but to be available for Him when He needs you unexpectedly.
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?