Above All Else: From Sloth to Zeal

In our ongoing series Above All Else, Grant Clark turns to the seventh and most misunderstood of the deadly sins: sloth. Far from simple laziness, sloth -- or acedia -- is a spiritual apathy and quiet resistance to Jesus that can live just as easily in the heart of the overachiever as in the one on the couch."Acedia is ultimately a failure of love. It's a place of apathy toward life and a kind of spiritual boredom... Whether midday, midlife, halftime or halfway through a big project, we're tempted to give in, give up or distract ourselves. Acedia tempts us to abandon the life we have for some imagined better option somewhere else -- as in 'anywhere but here'! Acedia can also be the temptation to live our lives in imagined fantasies of what might be rather than living in the gift of what is." - Alan Fadling (An Unhurried Life)What is acedia?- The Cambridge Dictionary defines sloth as "an unwillingness to work or to make any effort" -- but the biblical concept runs far deeper- Derived from the Greek a ("not") + keedos ("to care") -- acedia is a failure of love, a resistance to the transformation God is calling us into- Pope John Paul II defined acedia as "a sadness arising from the fact that the good is difficult"- It is not just laziness -- it is a selective laziness that can look like overwork, busyness, and productivity while neglecting the most important thingWhat does acedia look like?- The story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42): Martha was productive and active, but distracted from the one thing necessary -- attentiveness to Jesus- "Acedia is 'a restlessness that entices us to pursue everything but our most important duties. Acedia distracts. It makes us lazy and sluggish toward our spiritual and practical responsibilities. It is a selective laziness that makes everything else appealing.'" - John Cassian- "Slothful people are not only found lying around on couches or beds. They are often found in the gym every morning at 5:00 A.M., leading large organizations and companies, writing books, achieving goals, and even working hundred-hour weeks. Yes, the same sin can be at work in the heart of the person glued to the TV and the person who does not have time for TV. Christian thinkers have always seen links between laziness and overwork, though the definition of sloth has morphed through the years." - Trent Casto (The Death of the Deadly Sins)- Sloth wears many masks: variety-seeking, escapism, distraction, commitment-phobia, procrastination, and never finishing what we start- The "noonday demon" of the Desert Fathers -- the midday restlessness that whispers anywhere but here- Delayed obedience: like Augustine's prayer, "Lord, give me chastity and self-control -- but not yet"- Acedia is avoiding the responsibilities that loving God and loving neighbor require - Trent CastoFrom sloth to zeal (Romans 12:11)- "Do not be slothful in zeal. Be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord." (ESV) / "Do not lack diligence in zeal. Be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord." (CSB)- Zeal = earnest commitment with haste and diligence; fervent = to boil, to burn -- a passion for Jesus- The word diligent in Latin (diligere) means "to love" -- to be diligent in zeal is to love- "Look at the intensity in this verse. The Christian life is neither cold nor indifferent... We face many temptations to be passive or lazy today. So let's heed this word: live on fire for Christ! And let's see that God is gracious in giving us such a command. He knows our frames. He knows our passions can cool. So he exhorts us in love. I believe every Christian in a privileged part of the world must always ask, 'Do I love comfort too much? Has it become an idol? Has it caused me to shrink back from passionate service to the Lord Jesus?'" - Tony Merida- "Since acedia is a failure to appreciate the gifts of the present moment or the present season, the classic remedy for acedia has always been to abide in the good relationships and to engage in the good work before us." - Alan Fadling- Practical response: (1) Obey straight away -- identify and repent of any area of delayed obedience; (2) Abide -- stay where God has placed you, persevere in the ordinary, and trust that God is at workVerses- Proverbs 4:23- Luke 10:38-42 (CSB)- Luke 10:40- Romans 12:11 (ESV + CSB)- Ephesians 2:8-10- Hebrews (for the joy set before him, he endured the cross)- Psalm 72