#18 UNDERSTANDING LOVE: MORE THAN A COUCH POTATO...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
LOVE UNDERSTANDS THAT NEGLECT IS JUST AS BAD AS ABUSE...
WHAT MAKES US THINK WE CAN GET AWAY WITH NEGLECT?
HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGLECT?
NELECT: to fail to take care of, or not give attention to something...
To fail to do... TO LEAVE UNDONE... THROUGH CARELESSNESS
Hebrews 2:3 (KJV) How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Hebrews 2:3 (NLT) So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation
that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who
heard him speak?
IDLE: to not work, not real purpose or value, NOT PRODUCTIVE...
COUCH POTATO AND SPECTATOR?
1 Timothy 5:6 (KJV) But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
Come with me to Cincinnati, Ohio and meet a lady named SANDRA.
Let us talk with the Police Sergeant, PAUL NEUDIGATE and hear a sad story.
Sandra had a strange addiction that affected her whole family.
Her husband, ALEXANDER and Sandra had 3 kids, 5,3, and 2 years old.
The problem was so serious that ALEXANDER moved out and left his wife.
Still no change in Sandra's problem.
TWO WEEKS AFTER LEAVING , ALEXANDER CALLED THE POLICE TO REPORT
THAT SANDRA WAS NEGLECTING THE 3 CHILDREN.
The police visited Sandra's apartment to find terrible, deplorable conditions. The
children we dirty, the home was nasty. The kids were hungry.
WHAT WAS SANDRA'S ADDICTION? The investigation found SANDRA WAS ACTIVELY
ON THE COMPUTER AT LEAST 12 HOURS A DAY.
Her compulsion was SURFING THE INTERNET.
According to the police reports the kids were locked in their room so they could not
bother their mother. The apartment was a nasty mess, but the computer area was clean
and immaculate.
THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY ARREST SANDRA AND PLACED THE 3 CHILDREN
IN CUSTODY ON 3 COUNTS OF CHILD ENDANGERMENT.
MUST BE MORE THAN PASSIVE FORGETTING
WE MUST BE BE DOERS AND ACTIVE...
LOVE UNDERSTANDS: WE MAY LAUGH ABOUT COUCH POTATOES?
BUT COUCH POTATOES WILL KILL LOVE DEADER THAN A DOOR NAIL...
People that spend their time idly, they sit around and do little, maybe a lot of
time on the computer or television.
A lazy, inactive person, one that spends a lot of time accomplishing little.
LAZY BONES, DEADBEAT, DO-NOTHING, LOAFER IDLER, SLUGGARD.
SELF STARTER, DOER, GO AHEAD...
LOVE UNDERSTANDSTHE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INSTINCT AND LEARNED
BEHAVIOR...
PLAN OR FAIL?
Not one person planned to fail...
LOVE KNOWS TO FAIL TO PLAN IS AN AUTOMATIC PATH TO FAIL.
INSTINCT: action, behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not a learned behavior.
A natural desire or tendency...
You never took a class on how to: breath? Suck a bottle?
LEARN: to gain knowledge by study, experience or teaching.
STUDY, INTRUCTION, EXPERIENCE...
LAZINESS? YOU OWE ME? IDLENESS ARE ALL LEARNED BEHAVIORS...
1 Timothy 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and
not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
TO UNDERSTAND REAL LOVE WE HAVE TO REALIZE WE NOT ONLY ARE LEARNERS
BUT WE ARE TEACHING...
Proverbs 31:27 (KJV) She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the
bread of idleness.
Proverbs 31:27 (MSG) She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all
busy and productive.
LOVE UNDERSTANDS LIFE IS ABOUT WHAT CONTROLS YOU?
Proverbs 25:16 (KJV) Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest
thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
Proverbs 25:16 (MSG) When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down; eat too
much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick;
A 32 YEAR OLD MAN DIED IN BUENOS AIRES (December 1993) his death was
ATTRIBUTATED TO OVER EATING.
He weighed 660 pounds at death.
5 days before his death he ate a whole piglet by himself.
It took the whole fire department to carry him to the hospital.
He died in Intensive Care...
WHY?
ANY APPETITE THAT IS OUT OF CONTROL CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS.
Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in
their shame, who mind earthly things.)
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE UN-COLA? THE 7 UN-COLAS OF LOVE...
LOVE UNDERSTANDS UN CAN HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON LOVE...
1. UN-FORGIVING. HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE?
2. UN-HAPPY PEOPLE BREED UNHAPPY ATTITUDES...
If YOU ARE MISERABLE YOU WILL MAKE EVERY PERSON NEAR YOU MISERABLE.
3. UN-MERCIFUL. negative crowds are always JUDGMENTAL and pick their friends
and enemies to piece.
4. UN-TEACHABLE. They all KNOW-IT-ALLS.
People learn more and more about less and less until finally they know everything about nothing.
5. UN-SERVANT ATITUDE--- BIG BOSS... submission is a dirty word.
6. UN-WRONG, ALWAYS RIGHT...
7. UN-APOLOGETIC NEVER SORRY, NO REMORSE, always defensive, never contrite
but always contrary
LOVE UNDERSTANDS WE MUST BE MORE THAN PASSIVE FORGETTING
WE MUST BE BE DOERS AND ACTIVE...
WE LAUGH ABOUT COUCH POTATOES?
People that spend their time idly, they sit around and do little, maybe a lot of
time on the computer or television.
A lazy, inactive person, one that spends a lot of time accomplishing little.
LAZY BONES, DEADBEAT, DO-NOTHING, LOAFER IDLER, SLUGGARD.
SELF STARTER, DOER, GO AHEAD...
All of our lives can be based on two items:
1. ACTION
2. REACTION
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his
natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,
and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed.
James 1:22 (NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what
it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who
looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately
forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives
freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be
blessed in what he does.
James 1:22 (MSG) 22 Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you
are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
23 Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, 24 walk away, and
two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. 25 But whoever catches
a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye,
and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person
will find delight and affirmation in the action.
CONCLUSION: Love must understand life is about ACTIONS and WORDS.
We must quit re-acting to every piece of garbage that is thrown by us. We must
ACT BY FAITH. We must BE FAITHFUL DOERS and make good plans.
Good growth comes from good planning. We must learn to prune the branches.
His servant, Wade martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
