People, in general, aren’t moving as much as they have in previous generations. Perhaps it’s due to the profusion of electronic entertainment — YouTube, cable TV, video games, and social media, to name a few. We all know what the non-glamorous idiom of “couch potato” means. But this lack of moving is causing serious problems. The number of cases of obesity, diabetes and heart disease is on the rise.
No Movement Toward God
People aren’t only becoming more sedentary in their physical lifestyles, but also in their spiritual lives. In our present generation, it seems like fewer and fewer people have any “movement” in their hearts towards the true God. More and more people are becoming completely sedentary when it comes to God their Maker. They express no heartfelt desire in prayer to come to know Him. They have no gratitude moving their hearts to thanksgiving. They have no sense of awe for the Almighty moving their hearts to worship. In short, they live like God doesn’t exist.
They may be busy making their lives comfortable and expending all sorts of energy to advance in this world, but they expend no energy and take no meaningful thought for God.
What will be the sad result of leading such a sedentary spiritual life?
Fat Hearts
One dire result is that hearts will become “fat.” Fat is accumulated when a person doesn’t exercise and eats an unhealthy diet. Our hearts were made to feed on God’s goodness and grace and not the things of this life. When they only love the things of this world, it is as though they become enclosed with a layer of unhealthy fat. We are never in a state of spiritual health until by God’s grace we share in His life through faith in Christ Jesus. King David painted a not-too-rosy picture of those whose love of God took a second place to their love of material wealth. He wrote, “They are inclosed in their own fat” (Psalm 17:1010They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly. (Psalm 17:10)). The prophet Isaiah said about the same thing when he wrote about those who refused to acknowledge God’s truth. He wrote, “Make the heart of this people fat,” and he went on to say, “and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed” (Isaiah 6:1010Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. (Isaiah 6:10)). It is a dangerous thing to have a heart that has no use for eternal blessings. It results in a dullness where people lose the ability to perceive the value of the gifts God has to give. Praise God, He is in the converting business, and hearts that have been made fat by an inordinate love of this world’s goods may yet be converted if they use their eyes to see His truth.
Dark Minds
Another sad result of those living a sedentary lifestyle towards God is that their minds will be darkened. Romans 1:2121Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21) reads, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” God has given to each one of us a mind so that we can think true thoughts about Him and come to understand His goodness. But when people never use their mind and heart to seek Him, a darkness settles over these faculties. In this darkness it gets harder and harder to see God’s truth. Isaiah wrote, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:2020Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)). This calling evil good and vice versa is going on in epidemic proportions in today’s world. In this darkened state God will allow people who insist on doing their own will to pursue their own shameful lusts. It gets to the point where they don’t even see the evil of what they are doing. Don’t let this happen to you. Exercise your heart and mind towards God. Repent and turn away from your sins. Pray that you might come to an understanding of God’s love shown through Christ.
Lastly, when people pass out of this world with no genuine movement of love or faith toward God in their hearts, they will be completely sedentary in the death to come. People who never come to repentance and faith in Christ, when they pass out of this world, will be sent to hell. Hell is a place to be avoided at all costs.
This is because hell is the opposite of heaven in every way. Heaven will be full of light. Hell will be full of darkness. Heaven will be full of pleasure of the highest sort. Hell will be full of pain of the worst kind. That is why sometimes it is referred to as the prison house of hell.
The danger of living a lifestyle where the heart has no motion in the form of faith and love toward God is that souls will be cast into hell where they will never move toward God.
Answers to Deep Questions
So that this doesn’t happen to you, get off the couch of spiritual sloth. Use the heart and mind God has given you to seek Him. Ask serious questions such as, What is the purpose of life down here? Where will I spend eternity when I die? What kind of life do I need to live to please God? How do I get my sins forgiven? Keep asking until you find the answers. The Lord Jesus encouraged people to ask such questions when He taught, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:77Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (Matthew 7:7)).
The answers to life’s deepest questions are all to be found in Christ. Oh, that you would come to Him for salvation, and then keep coming to Him in faith and love every day for the rest of your life until He brings you home to heaven!