Procrastinators-no-more, are you walking free? Still got it going in the New Year?
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage‚Ķ Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Gal. 5:1,16.
Standing fast is holding the position Christ has bought for me – abiding in that liberty. I walk out my days through decisions that follow the Spirit’s leading.
Those verses beg us to look at Proverbs 15:19:
“The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway.”
Even if I work hard, I am lazy if I do not do what needs doing when it needs doing. (What a realization that was for me! Proverbs 6:6-11)
When I don’t work in season, I am not abiding in His liberty, I’m wandering away instead of standing fast. If I don’t follow the Spirit’s leading, I fall prey to self and the enemy.
When I do work in season, I am abiding in His liberty, taking advantage of the freedom bought for me; I follow the Spirit’s leading.
What characterizes a hedge of thorns? It’s prickly, painful, inconvenient, leaves marks, it’s hard to pull apart and awkward to get through, it binds, it catches other things in itself, dealing with it slows a person down.
What characterizes a highway? It’s fairly smooth, wide and clear enough for passage, easy to maneuver on, goes somewhere.
The choice is a tangled mess or smooth sailing, bondage or liberty, complicated or simple.
I create my own hedge of thorns by not doing what needs doing when it needs doing.
In these examples there are resulting difficulties that make each tangle worse: I didn’t set the meeting up promptly so time slots and conference rooms are not available. I did not take the car in for repair so it’s not ready for this trip. I don’t have my student’s transcript ready so he may not make the deadline. I didn’t update the dog’s shots so the kennel won’t take him. (This one, last month.) In a bind?
When I work in season, I do not eliminate all difficulties; but I do get to travel on a highway.
This week, I’ve identified a job I’ve put off – cleaning my workroom – and made a plan for doing it. What will you tackle so you can walk free?
Yikes! The thought that I’ve created my own hedge of thorns makes me feel like I have things poking at me! I love your posts. Feeling motivated to clean out!
I must admit I bring most of this on myself – say, 95% if I’m honest. Praise God, this thorny hedge does not have to be permanent! I don’t like the prickles or the way being caught in the stickers keeps me from where I should be.