Wednesday; December 28

By doing nothing, we learn to do ill.

The preceding is a bit of an archaic statement, but I believe it is quite true. Being active and focused doesn’t just help us accomplish our goals, it also keeps us out of trouble. Few of us ever get into to trouble because we have too much on our plates, but there are a lot of us who can point to idleness as the cause of poor decisions.
Most of us who have grown up during modern day have had ample opportunity to wallow in idleness, but this is not the creation of 21st Century. When Jesus was trying to warn His generation He told the following story, “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45). I will be the first to acknowledge that I don’t understand all the nuances of this story, but one thing that stands out to me is that unless I fill the voids in my life – even if they are created by something as noble as repentance – trouble is bound to follow!
Are we staying busy enough to keep us out of trouble? Instead of focusing on our wants, are we willing to reach out to help others with their needs? Rather than sitting around the house, are we willing to venture out and find people who can use our abilities and wisdom?
Let’s stay busy. When we do, good things can happen and bad things are less likely.
Think About It!

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