The word WEARY means drained, exhausted, fatigued, rundown, tired out, worn-down, worn-out. beat , bushed , tuckered, done in.
Each of these definitions describe how we feel sometime even if we are a child of God.
But the Lord use the word WEARY!!!
For example, the Bible tells us 2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
Notice God warns us we are not to become WEARY IN WELL DOING.
In this sermon I will be using the word BORED for the word WEARY.
Today we hear adults and teenagers talking about they are bored with life!!!
Some people as a Christian will tell you as a Christian they never have been bored with life. But these same people will tell you they also like to take cold showers in the winter when it is freezing.
Anytime we do something over and over again we can become bored. Such as:
• Attending church
• Doing good deeds
• Teaching and preaching
• Giving tithes and offerings
Everyone can become weary and become bored with life.
But God tells us NOT TO BE WEARY IN WELL DOING!!!
Illus: Back in 2009, a 16-year-old British girl was fired from her office job because her manager saw on Facebook that she had said her job was “boring”.
She was called into her manager's office and given the following letter:
“Following your comments made on Facebook... we feel it is better that, as you are not happy and do not enjoy your work we end your employment with (our company).”
She was fired because she was bored with her job?
Solomon found his found life was boring, he wrote in Eccl. 2:17, “I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Solomon went on to explain how he tried to cure this boredom in his life.
In Eccl. 1:13-14 "And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit."
What a description of Solomon’s life, it was chasing after the wind.
In other words, he was saying life is empty and boring.
Now when we talk about Solomon you would think how can a man like this be BORED WITH LIFE. IT SEEMS HE WAS A MAN THAT EVERYTHING…HOW CAN HE BECOME BORED WITH LIFE?
Many people, including many Christians, are utterly bored with life.
And like Solomon they are turning to all kinds of things to add some spice to their life.
This could be part of the reason if not all the reason WHY HE HAD 7O0 WIVES AND 300 CONCUBINES.
There are two primary causes of boredom.
(1) The first is an ABUNDANCE OF THINGS.
Our modern age has robbed us of jobs that use to keep us busy and made life worthwhile.
Busy people do not have time in life to be bored.
Illus: But this modern age in which we live is nice and wonderful but it is a dangerous age in which we live.
That is we have tools, gadgets, machinery, and computers that have robbed us of our time.
For example:
• Carpenters who use to patiently drive nails in a board now have nail guns they can use to shoot a dozen nails in a board compared to a carpenter with his hammer could only drive one nail. WHAT A TIME SAVER!!!
• Farmers now have tractors can plow hundreds of acres in a few hours which took a farmer and his mule weeks to plow. WHAT A TIME SAVER!!!
• House wives now have dish washers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners to expidite their house cleaning. WHAT A TIME SAVER!!!
• Mechanics have tools that they use to save them an abundance of time. WHAT A TIME SAVER!!!
All these things in this modern age is great, but these things have made life where we have an abundance of time in our life and many have become bored with life.
Illus: You ever talk to a waitress when things are slow and people do not have anything to do and you ask them how are you?
They say, I am bored, I had rather have something to do because time goes by faster.
We have an ABUINDANCE of things that has created boredom in our lives.
(2)The second cause of boredom is undercommitment.
When we wake up in the morning we have to have something that is worth while in our life to wake-up for.
When we have to much SPARE time in our life the devil will fill that vacuum.
Illus: Remember when King David fell into sin. It was when he was on the roof top with nothing to do but to look LUST AFTER A WOMAN!!!
When we do not have anything to do in a positive manner the devil will give us something to do in a negative manner.
When our life is filled with doing God’s will we have no room in our life to do the devil’s will.
Illus: Many dream of the day when they can retire and sit in their rocking chair and rock the days off.
The rocking chair is not anything to wake up to and look forward to each day.
Illus: Colonel Harland Sanders retired and now was sitting on his front porch waiting for the government to send him his retirement check. His life was a LIFE OF MISERY…
• At age 5 his Father died.
• At age 16 he quit school.
• At age 17 he had already lost four jobs.
• At age 18 he got married.
• Between ages 18 and 22, he was a railroad conductor and failed.
• He joined the army and washed out there.
• He applied for law school he was rejected.
• He became an insurance sales man and failed again.
• At age 19 he became a father.
• At age 20 his wife left him and took their baby daughter.
• He became a cook and dishwasher in a small cafe.
• He failed in an attempt to kidnap his own daughter, and eventually he convinced his wife to return home.
• At age 65 he retired.
• On the 1st day of retirement he received a check from the Government for $105.
• He felt that the Government was saying that he couldn’t provide for himself.
• He decided to commit suicide, it wasn’t worth living anymore; he had failed so much.
• He sat under a tree writing his will, but instead, he wrote what he would have accomplished with his life. He realized there was much more that he hadn’t done. There was one thing he could do better than anyone he knew. And that was how to cook.
• So he borrowed $87 against his check and bought and fried up some chicken using his recipe, and went door to door to sell them to his neighbours in Kentucky.
• Remember at age 65 he was ready to commit suicide.
• But at age 88 Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Empire was a billionaire.
• Moral of the story: Attitude. It’s never too late to start all over.
This life of boredom is not the life that God created us to live.
Jesus summed up his mission to earth with these famous words: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 KJV).
Some folks when they crawl out of bed in the morning they have no reason to crawl out of bed.
Because of boredom in this life we have people living off of medication just trying to survive.
But it seems that the medication they are taking is not curing their boredom.
Why?
Because there is no medication that can cure boredom.
Illus: This reminds me of the patient that said to his doctor:
• “It's been one month since my last visit and I still feel bored and miserable.”
• Doctor: “Did you follow the instructions on the medicine bottle I gave you?”
• Patient: “I sure did! The instructions on the bottle said, ‘keep lid tightly closed ‘ and I am still bored.”
Let’s open up the Word of God for instructions to see what we can do to overcome boredom in our life.
I. LOOK AT THE REASON FOR BOREDOM
There is a reason for everything, and there is a reason for boredom.
Before we can find a cure for boredom we have to find out what causes boredom.
Let me suggest THREE REASONS why many are bored in life.
They need to have a-
A. CHANGE OF PLACE
Many fall into a rut in life and they stay there week after week, month after month, and year after year.
Even though they live in a big world, the world in which they live have chosen to live is a small world.
• They eat the same food everyday
• They eat at the same restaurant everyday
• They park their car in the same place every day
• They talk to the same people each day.
• They sit in the same pew when they attend church every Sunday
In other words their BIG WORLD has become a SMALL WORLD.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger tells how that he use to have in his office a little gold fish in a small aquarium. He called him Samson, but sometimes he looked at him and felt sorry for him, because there are ponds that cover acres and acres of land he could have enjoyed. But all he could do is go around in a circle in that little bowl that he is in day after day, week after week, and month after month.
Dr. Belger said sometime he would swim in his direction and he would stick his little lips on the bowl as if to say, I AM BORED TO DEATH!!!
Variety is the spice of life, but they have no SPICE IN LIFE because they have no variety in their life.
They need to make some CHANGES!
Illus: Have you noticed:
• That you feel good when you get a new suit of clothes to wear.
• That you feel good when you get a new job.
• That you feel good when you get a new car.
• That you feel good when you go to a new school.
• That you feel good when you move into a new house.
• That you feel good when you go fishing.
• That you feel good when you play a game of golf.
Sometimes the answer to boredom is simply a CHANGE OF ROUTINE or a change of PLACE.
For example, when David in the Old Testament lived here on earth they did not have television, radios, computers, cars, boats and campers.
They had a very simple life of routine, day after day doing the same thing…TENDING TO THE SHEEP DAY AFTER DAY, WEEK AFTER WEEK, MONTH AFTER MONTH AND YEAR AFTER YEAR..
Perhaps one of the reason in Psalm 122:1, he said, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
One of the many benefits for attending church is for SIX DAYS they have been doing the same thing over and over again, but when the Lord’s day come…. We are to REST which means cease doing these things and now do something differently.
He was glad because:
• He loved the Lord and wanted to go to the house of God to worship Him
• Going to church breaks the routine of life that he did on a daily basis
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger tells how he had an aunt that would hardly leave the house. He would visit with her in her home, and sometimes the house was so dark he could hardly see her sitting across the room.
Her little world had become A SMALL PLACE, and to cope with the boredom she practically had to live on medication.
Listen, there is a big world out there that God created for us to enjoy.
People are not made to live like caged animals.
Many times people suffer from BOREDOM because they need a CHANGE OF PLACE.
But also sometimes we need a -
B. CHANGE OF FACE
Why did the Lord give us all different looking faces?
Can you imagine how boring life would be if we all had the same face?
THAT IS ENOUGH TO MAKE ANYONE BORED!
God made all these people with these different faces for us to look at, but many have chosen to look at the same few faces each day.
Remember during Covid 19 we were locked up in our homes. During this time there was a:
• Suicides increased
• Divorces increased
WhY? Because day after day and week after week we were confine to only a few people.
We live in a broad world and with many different kinds of faces.
Illus: A woman was thinking about buying a pet to help her fight boredom. She decided she would like to find a beautiful parrot. It wouldn't be as much work as a dog, and it would be fun to hear it speak.
She went to a pet shop and immediately spotted a large beautiful parrot. She went to the owner of the store and asked how much the bird cost. The owner said it was $50. Delighted that such a rare looking and beautiful bird wasn't more expensive, she agreed to buy it. The owner looked at her and said, "Look, I should tell you first that this bird used to live in a house of ill-repute. Sometimes it says some things that might offend you."
The woman thought about this, but decided she had to have the bird. The pet shop owner sold her the bird and she took it home. She hung the bird's cage up in her living room and waited for it to say something.
• The bird looked around the room, then at her, and said, "New house, new madam." The woman was a bit shocked at the implication, but then thought "that's not so bad."
• A couple hours later, the woman's two teenage daughters returned from high school. When they inspected the bird, it looked at them and said, "New house, new madam, new working girls." The girls and the woman were a bit offended at first, but then began to laugh about the situation.
• A couple of hours later, the woman's husband came home from work. The bird looked at him and said, "New house, new madam, new working girls; same old faces. Hi Bob!"
We all have different faces, and our faces tell a great deal about us.
Illus: That reminds me of the student making faces at others on the playground, Ms. Smith stopped to gently reprove the child.
• Smiling sweetly, the Sunday School teacher said, "Bobby, when I was a child, I was told that if I made ugly faces, it would freeze and I would stay like that."
• Bobby looked up and replied, "Well, Ms. Smith, you can't say you weren't warned."
Sometimes to fight boredom in this life, we need…
• A CHANGE OF PLACE
• A CHANGE OF FACE.
Also, we may need a -
C. CHANGE OF PACE
Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. “
Listen, there is no way a person can be bored with life if God is ORDERING HIS STEPS!
The reason that some today are bored is because they need a CHANGE OF PACE!
• Some need to SPEED UP
• Some need to SLOW DOWN
Illus: We are all thankful for the interstate highways. We can get on these highways and lock on our cruise control, but if we aren’t careful we can find ourselves sleeping at the wheel, BECAUSE DRIVING BECOMES BORING!
Before we had the interstate highways, we found ourselves driving at different speeds, sometimes fast and sometimes slow:
• Depending where we were
• And where we thought the highway patrolman was.
The change of SPEED and the change of SCENERY made the trips much more pleasant.
Today, as many live their lives, they have locked on their cruise control; they are at the SAME PACE week after week, month after month, and year after year.
These three things are THE REASONS some are BORED TO DEATH WITH LIFE:
• The same Place
• The same Face
• The same Pace
We have looked at THE REASON FOR BOREDOM, now let us…
II. LOOK AT THE CURE FOR BOREDOM
HOW DO WE OVERCOME BOREDOM?
Some who are bored with life feel that medication is the cure for boredom.
Have you noticed people who thinks this is the cure never get any better.
Why? Because medication is not the cure for boredom.
WHAT IS THE CURE?
A. DOING WHATEVER LIES CLOSE AT HAND.
Ecclesiastes 9:10, we read, “Whatsoever thy
hand findeth to do…”
A bored person gives the impression they are bored because there is nothing to do. But that is not so! There are all kinds of things that need to be done.
God’s Word tells us WHATSOEVE THY HAND FINDETH TO DO…DO IT!
Illus: Have you ever talked with a bored person? You can say:
• This is a very inspiring book! And they will say, “Whatever.”
• That was a very good movie! And they will say, “Whatever.”
• That was a very good sermon! And they will say, “Whatever”.
The word “Whatever” in that sense means, “I don’t even care enough to give you an answer.”
This is the way that many are today. There are all kinds of things they could do with their life, but they sit there as if there is nothing on this earth that needs to be done.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Look at Ecclesiastes 9:10, we read, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do…”
The book of Solomon says FINDS SOMETHING TO DO AND DO IT!!!
IIlus: Eugene Peterson’s translation translates this verse as, “Whatever turns up, grab it and do it.”
In this life there is work to be done, much of it tedious and monotonous!
Illus: Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “Better to do what you need to do than to waste four hours dreaming about what you would like to do.”
There is always work to be done
• Someone has to clear the table
• Someone has to take out the trash
• Someone has to pay the bills
• Someone has to wash the windows
• Someone has to replace the oil filter in the car
• Someone has to teach Sunday School
• Someone has to file the papers
• Someone has to drive the carpool on Thursday
Someone may say, “I don’t feel like doing it.”
Your feelings don’t matter. Someone has to do it and it might as well be you.
Illus: You’ve heard the old saying, that is so true, “I expect to pass through the world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
It is very difficult to be bored when you are giving yourself to help those around you. You will soon find out that your problems are not so big after all, when you reach out to help folks with real problems!
Boredom comes when we focus on our own needs. Crawl outside yourself and your problems will seem smaller and your boredom will soon disappear.
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do…” We overcome boredom …
It is not only important that WE DO IT, but that…
B. DOING OUR WORK WITH PASSION
Ecclesiastes 9:10b, “Do it with all your might”
Not only are we to do whatever lies close at hand, we are to do it aggressively.
Many days you won’t feel like going to work, and if you go, you won’t enjoy it. Big deal. Go anyway.
One doctor said that whenever a patient comes to him complaining of vague symptoms with no medical cause, he tells them to “crawl out of yourself.”
It means to crawl out of the cave of self-pity and get involved in the world of hurting people.
Famed psychiatrist Karl Menninger was once asked,
• “What should you do if you feel a nervous breakdown coming on?”
• Everyone expected him to say, “See a psychiatrist,”
• But he replied, “Lock the door of your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need and do something to help that person.”
Do what you have to do. And do it with all your might. There is a certain amount of joy and contentment that comes from working aggressively.
Also, we overcome boredom …
C. BY PONDERING THE BREVITY OF LIFE
Look at the last part of verse 10, we read, “For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
I found a different translation of this verse in the Contemporary English Version: “Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or knows anything.”
“You will soon go to the world of the dead,” sounds like something you would find in a bad Chinese fortune cookie.
Illus: An old invitation hymn (“Softly and Tenderly”) offers this sobering verse:
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.
Life is not a dress rehearsal. We only get one chance to do whatever we’re going to do on planet earth. Our life under the sun will soon be over.
The point is, do whatever you’re going to do now.
• If you intend to do some good deed, do it now.
• If you have some great plan, work on it now.
• If you intend to do something, be something, try something, do it now.
You don’t have time to be bored.
Conclusion:
Remember, you represent Jesus in everything you do.
Look at Col. 3:17a, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Illus: Folk singer Joan Baez once remarked, “You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die, or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live now.”
If you are bored, it is because you have chosen to live a boring life.
Boredom is a warning sign that we are living for self when we ought to be living for God.
We have looked at:
Illus: One of the most extreme examples of this is the story of Howard Hughes.
In 1966, he was named the richest person in the world.
His fortune is estimated to have been worth more than $40 billion in today's dollars.
On a trip to Las Vegas, Hughes had a disagreement with the owner of one casino. So, he bought the casino and several around it.
Money was his answer for everything.
Hughes was also nicknamed the world's greatest womanizer. He dated various beautiful Hollywood actresses, including Ginger Rogers, Olivia de Havilland, Jane Russel and Katherine Hepburn.
In his prime, Hughes was a daring aviator and tireless tinkerer who spurred science to new heights. He was an industrialist, entrepreneur, and world record setter.
He built the largest airplane ever to fly. Do you know what it was called?
That’s right: The Spruce Goose.
Howard Hughes had it all. The power, the prestige, the possessions.
But despite all of that, for the last 20 years of his life Hughes lived alone. He refused to appear in public or to be photographed. He became a hypochondriac, with an unnatural fear of germs. He refused to cut his hair, his beard or his nails. And the only people he saw were his doctors & his personal servants.
And when he died... he died alone.
And nobody cared. Why? Because his life was about him.
But there are others who recognized they could do something with their life.
These bodies can do some amazing thing.
Illus: There had been those pend under a car, but someone saw them and the adrealin began to flow an they moved that car off of that person.
We can send messages that we are shutting down and soon our body will shut down.
Let us learn from the life of Solomon how not to live: “Work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:17
If you are living a life of boredom it is because you have chosen to live such a life. In this sermon we have looked at:
I.THE REASON FOR BOREDOM
A. The same place
B. The same Face
C. The same Pace
II. THE REMEDY FOR BOREDOM
A. Hands find to do
B. Do it with passion
C. Pondering the brevity of life
