“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25
Unless you’re a physicist or have a particular penchant for recalling your high school academics, you may not be able to recollect Newton’s First Law of Motion: “An object or body at rest remains at rest, and an object of body in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.” It’s also called the Law of Inertia. Now, “inertia” is not a common word in today’s vernacular, but it typically refers to the tendency to do nothing—and then to keep doing nothing.
Inaction breeds inaction. Our minds might automatically go to how this applies to our physical selves: If we don’t move our bodies in exercise, it’s easy to continue not to do so. Inertia is another reason why procrastinators procrastinate—and keep on procrastinating. Some external force (perhaps a warning from a doctor regarding diet or exercise, or maybe an encroaching project deadline) has to create in us an influence, push, reason to change, move, do.
This law is true physically…and it’s also applicable spiritually.
Whether by choice or by circumstance, it’s very easy to get into spiritual inertia mode. “I serve every weekend,” you might say to yourself. “I need a break.” Or a weekend out of town means a missed Sunday with your church fam…but when the next Sunday comes, it’s suddenly a viable option to sleep in or just watch online. Maybe you don’t “feel like dealing with people” for whatever reason (you had a bad week at work, for example), and you start thinking about how much better it would be to just stay home than go to Bible study/small group. Your mind may even start focusing on what’s “wrong” at your church—the admin “issues” or the music’s volume or the lack of leadership. And that one person in your small group well, they’ve been so annoying lately. The hisses are subtle, but relentless. Suddenly-not-suddenly, your eyes turn inward to me, myself, and I. Isolation seems like the best choice. And inertia sets in quickly.
Oh, you can hear Satan chortle with glee. It’s one of his most effective tools for making ineffective believers. “I’ll keep them from corporate worship and fellowship—this way, there’s no encouragement, connection, or exhortation,” he says. “Once they believe isolation is the ‘the best thing’ right now, I’ll help them build the walls higher and higher.” Instead of the truth of isolation, we believe we’re “protecting ourselves.” Beloved, can you see the impending peril?
We must battle against inertia! When we don’t “feel” like going to church or attending small group, we go. When the effort to have fellowship seems like more than your mind and heart could muster, we go. What’s our motivation—that “force” to knock us out of inaction into action? The Word of God delivers the jolt of truth for us. Here are just a handful of admonitions to get you started:
“Lord, our enemy prowls around looking for someone to devour. Sustain in me the truth that I am not saved to be isolated, but to worship, laugh, cry, and be with my brothers and sisters in Christ.”
For His Glory
Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life
Leave a Reply