Dawdling Disciples?

        Eugene Ormandy was conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra for 44 years. Ormandy was legendary for the whole-hearted enthusiasm which characterized his conducting. The website bible.org archives an article from the December 31, 1992 Progress Magazine in which Hal Lucock wrote, "I was impressed several years ago when I read that Eugene Ormandy dis- located a shoulder while directing the Philadelphia Orchestra. I do not know what they were playing, but he was giving all of himself to it! And I have to ask myself sadly, "Did I ever dislocate anything, even a necktie?" How do you dislocate a shoulder while conducting an orchestra? There is only one way – with whole-hearted fervor and zeal! Ormandy’s shoulder injury brings to mind Solomon’s 3,500 year old words in Ecclesiastes 9:10 where he called on readers to go about daily life with zest – "What- ever your hand finds to do, do it with your might." Why? – "for there is no work or device or know- ledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going." Solomon’s message is clear – the clock is ticking! So, as long as what we are doing is right and good and within God’s will,"do it with your might"! Get after it and live life with zest and enthusiasm. To quote Tim McGraw, "Live like you’re dying."

Now, of all people, Christians ought to be living with whole-hearted, all-out enthusiasm for Christ! In the book of ROMANS, the apostle Paul used 11 chapters to expound the gospel. He focused closely on God’s love and Christ’s vicarious suffering on the cross for our sins (Romans 5:6-11; 8:31-39). Then in chapter 12 he began to make appeals to Christians to live for Christ since Christ died and rose again for them. One short but fully-packed directive is found at 12:11 – "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Without getting into any technicalities about the verse, allow me to restate those words in a very loose Southern paraphrase – "As a disciple of Christ, don’t dawdle!" In case you don’t understand that, I’ll paraphrase the paraphrase – "Don’t dally as a disciple!" Both words have to do with spending time aimlessly and idly, moving slowly, loafing, loitering, and lounging. That just won’t fit Paul’s inspired directive so far as our faith is concerned! There is no place for sloth in the body of Christ. A lazy, lounging, aimless, idle, slowly moving church will never get the gospel to a fast- paced and rapidly going and growing world. Rather than loafing and lounging and lagging and lazing around, the apostle directs every child of God to be "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." I have often heard the phrase that someone is "on fire for Christ." Paul’s words in this verse come as near as any in the Bible to fitting that description. The Greek word for fervent is zeo and has to do with applying heat to liquids to the point they boil and bubble, or applying heat to solids or metals to the point they glow. Our ancient brothers and sisters in Christ were on fire with the gospel. They didn’t dawdle or dally. With godly zeal and enthusiasm, they "went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). So much so they were at last accused of being "These who have turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6b). A lost world is waiting for the gospel. God help us repent of dawdling and dallying as disciples of Christ.

By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN