In Numbers 13, Moses sends out 12 spies to scout out the Promised Land that the people of Israel have been journeying toward. The spies complete their mission and report back. The spies tell tales of how enormous and powerful the people who occupy the Promised Land are - the spies say they felt like mere insects compared to these mighty people. Ten of the spies recommend abandoning the goal of living in the Promised Land. It is too difficult, they say. We will never win so we might as well give up. Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, remember God's promises to the people and speak convinced that with God all things are possible. The people nevertheless give into the fear of hopelessness and start making plans to return to bondage in Egypt. God then speaks to Moses, "How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?"
When we look closely at our lives, it is easy to see things we would like to improve. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Read the Bible. Pray more. Keep the house clean. Be more patient. We set a goal and hope we will make it. Sometimes we fail, later decide to try again, and then fail again. With each failed try, the goal seems ever more hopelessly unattainable. We forgot the promises that are out there. We do not see the signs of hope for a better future. Hopeless, we give up even trying anymore, and we return to bondage to our current state. It's no use, we say. I'll always be overweight. I can't stop smoking. The Bible and praying aren't for me. I'm just not the house-keeping kind. I'll never be patient. Not surprisingly, when we give up in despair, things only get worse. This is sloth - the despair that nothing is worth doing because we fear the situation is hopeless. This leads to the perceived laziness that is often thought of as sloth. When we succumb to the sin of sloth, we give up on hope. We give up on the promises that God has made for us and for our lives.
Thoughts to ponder: What things in your life have you made a concerted effort to change? Which have been successful? Which have met with failure repeatedly? What seems hopeless in your life today? Have you given up trying? What promise or sign would you need to try again in a new way?
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