God did not put us here to live a life of boredom!!!
The Word of God tells us Eccl.9:10, Whatsoever Thy Hands Findeth to do, do it with all thy might.
Reading that verse of scripture does not describe a life of boredom.
Illus: Isaac Watts said: Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do. Or as we heard in the past: Idle hands are a devil’s workshop.
People that are bored are people who have too much time on their hands. And Satan knows these are the people he is looking for to do some evil.
There is too much that needs to be done and no matter how old you are when you die, YOU WILL NOT GET IT ALL DONE!!!
• The song writer will still have one more song to be written.
• The preacher will still have one more sermon to prepare and preach.
• The carpenter will always have more houses to build.
• The mechanic will always have one more cars that need to be prepared.
The Word of God teaches us, WHATSOEVER THY HAND FIND TO DO, DO IT WITH ALL THY MIGHT.
Illus: We have many preachers and Sunday school teachers using the phrase, “I WILL JUST Wing it and see what happen!
The phrase “wing it” means to perform or proceed with something without preparation or a plan.
God’s Word is too important to have such people in charge of God’s Work. God’s work SHOULD BE DONE WITH ALL OUR MIGHT!!!
Illus: Today one of the reasons that our boys and girls know so little of the Bible is that Sunday school has become PLAY TIME.
God’s church is in desperate need for teachers that are dedicated to the teaching of God’s Word.
Have we forgotten SUNDAY SCHOOL is that time we teach boys and girls on their age level the WORD OF GOD?
Sometimes, the ones who can teach us the most about life are those who have been around the longest.
This age in which we live has become so different from past ages when the old generation knew the value of teaching boys and girls the WORD OF GOD!
Illus: Look what some of these older folks who have been around a long time have learned:
• ONE SAID: I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
• ONE SAID: I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
• ONE SAID: I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
• ONE SAID: I've learned that you can keep going a long time after you thought you could not keep going.
• ONE SAID: I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
• ONE SAID: I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
• ONE SAID: I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
The Word of God teaches us, WHATSOEVER YOU DO, DO IT WITH ALL THY MIGHT!!!
But one thing that very few people have learned is, HOW TO OVERCOME BOREDOM IN LIFE!
Illus: Boredom is a major problem in the life of the believer and un-believer:
• This is why many are unfaithful to their marriage vows
• This is why many go from job to job
• This is why many go from marriage to marriage
• This is why many go from church to church
• This is why our jails are filled.
• This is why many have a drinking problem
• This is why many are having psychiatrist problems.
Why?
They are BORED WITH LIFE!
Let’s look at two things that will help us with this problem of boredom.
Look at -
I. THE CAUSE OF BOREDOM
There are two primary causes of boredom.
A. THERE IS THE OVER-ABUNDANCE of THINGS!
In America we live in a society that is blessed with an OVER-ABUNDANCE of things!
While these things are a blessing it has also become a curse to our nation spiritually.
We have TV, radio, music, movies, telephones, Internet, and video games.
We have an abundance of things to occupy our time.
However, only God knows the harm these things have done to our nation spiritually.
While we consider these things to be good, it would amaze you how much better life would be without them.
For example…
According to the Center for Media Education:
• Most children watch three to four hours of TV a day: approximately 28 hours per week. That is 28 hours a week for people in Hollywood, the scum of the earth deciding what your children should be watching.
• Each year, most children spend about 1,500 hours in front of the TV and 900 hours in the classroom.
• By age 70, most people will have spent about ten years watching TV. (And we wonder why people are brain-washed to think like those on TV)
• By age 21, the average viewer will have seen one million TV commercials. (And we wonder why people are brain-washed to want to buy all the things they have seen advertised on TV.)
• Teenagers see 100,000 alcohol commercials before reaching legal drinking age. (And we wonder why teenagers are brain-washed to drink and smoke)
We live in a society where we have an over-abundance of TV, radio, music, movies, the Internet, telephones and video games.
PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE TO THINK, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS SIT AND BE BRAIN-WASHED BY THE DEVILS CROWD!!!
We live in a society of an OVER OF ABUNDANCE of things.
And people with all THIS IDLE TIMES IN THEIR LIFE HAVE MADE THESE IDOLS THE GODS THEY WORSHIP.
There are some who come to a worship service and they bring their gods with them and during the worship service the god of their telephones they worship.
We have an abundance of things that people feel they cannot live without.
It has not always been this way.
There was a time when a child came home from school they changed their clothes into work clothes and they had chores to do in the afternoon UNTIL SUPPER TIME.
And when they got through with their chores, supper and their homework they were tired and they looked forward to crawling into bed.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT?
We did not have the problems of gangs and mischief than.
Because of technology people have entirely too much time to waste on these things.
Illus: They now will put some of these evil doers in jail
And they lie around and watch television, fussing, fighting, cussing and getting into all kinds of trouble.
But there was a time when they did not have all this idle time. They put them on the chain gang digging ditches all day and when they carried them back to the CHAIN GANG camp they fed them and they were too tired to fight, fuss and cuss.
Why?
Because they knew they had better get some rest because they are going to be in those ditches digging to sun down the next day.
IIus: There was a time when if you gave a child an apple, an orange, or a banana, they were thrilled and thought it was Christmas.
Today, we have been given so much that it is molding them and shaping them each day.
Illus: Solomon was like this; he had everything a man can think of.
He had it all:
• He had fame
• He had education
• He had power
• He had material goods
• He had romance
He had everything a man can desire to have, but this is the same man that, talking about life, said, “ALL IS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT!”
In another word, SOLOMON WAS SAYING I AM BORED WITH LIFE, I HAVE EVERYTHING AND THERE IS NOT ANY THING TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN LIFE.
Today, many parents think they are doing their children a favor by giving them all these things, but they are destroying them.
Illus: A good parent does not teach their child to DEPEND ON THEM AS PARENTS.
Why?
Because good parents know they are not going to always be here, and that child that they love needs to be able to function in life without them and things.
A good parent knows THOSE THINGS ONLY SATISFY FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME!!!
One of the CAUSES OF BOREDOM is the OVER-ABUNDANCE of THINGS that people have today.
Also, another reason for boredom is…
B. THERE IS AN UNDER-COMMITMENT
Illus: Someone said, “Too many people live at the 20% level of commitment.”
• Many are 20% committed to their marriage
• Many are 20% committed to their work
• Many are 20% committed to their families
• Many are 20% committed to their careers
• Many are 20% committed to their church
• Many are 20% committed to Jesus Christ
Because of this under-commitment, people are living lives of frustration and boredom. No wonder they are bored.
In order to live a wonderful life we have to live a life a 100% for something.
The happiest people on this earth are committed person living a 100%:
• To their marriage
• To their job
• To their church
• To the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of the most bored people are people who are only 20% committed to anything.
Notice, God’s Word says, WHATSOEVER THY HAND FINDETH TO DO, DO WITH ALL THY MIGHT.
That is a 100%!!!
When God designed this life for us it was to be lived with a 100% commitment.
Someone said, “When you are bored, there is nothing to do because there is nothing to do that matters.”
We have looked at THE CAUSE OF BOREDOM…
• AN 0VER-ABUNDANCE OF THINGS
• THERE IS AN UNDER-COMMITMENT OF THINGS
Now look at-
II. THE CURE FOR BOREDOM
How can we overcome boredom?
Boredom is a serious problem for many folks.
Illus: Any time there is a cause, there has to be a cure!
For example:
• There is something that CAUSES humans to have cancer. There is a CURE, but mankind has not yet been able to find the CURE
• There are things that CAUSE BOREDOM, but many have not yet found the CURE
God’s Word has the cure for boredom… WHATSOEVER THY HAND FINDETH TO DO, DO WITH ALL THY MIGHT.
We overcome boredom by…
A. DOING SOMETHING WHOLE HEARTRDLY
Look at Eccl. 9:10a, we read “Whatsoever thy hands findeth to do, DO WITH ALL THY MIGHT”
Show me a person that sit around, lay around all the time and I will show you a bored person.
A lot folks know there are things they need to do, BUT THEY ARE PICKY ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
That is, there is a list of things to do, but there is not anything on that list things that they want to do.
Illus: Eugene Peterson’s translation of that verse goes like this, “Whatever turns up, grab it and do it.”
One of the chief reasons that many are bored is simply because people today have too much time on their hands.
Illus: In the past, a farmer could go out into a field and if he worked all day long behind a mule and a plow, he might plow an acre of land.
But today, farmers can get on their air-conditioned tractors and plow fifty acres in the time it used to take to plow one acre.
Modern technology has provided us with a lot of spare time on our hands, and many of us are bored because we do not have anything we want to do with our time.
Illus: Many believe the reason King David committed that sin with Bathsheba on that roof top was because of the idle time he had on that roof top when he should have been on the battle-field with his men.
Idle time is a dangerous thing for mankind!
Illus: For example, God says WORK SIX AND REST ONE!
• Idle time is a time when the devil wants to invade your life.
• He knows if our life is filled SERVING THE LORD THERE IS NOT ROOM IN OUR LIFE FOR HIM.
God’s Word says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,”
Illus: Our hands can always find something to do. There is always working to be done.
• Someone has to take out the trash
• Someone has to walk the dog and clean up behind it
• Someone has to pay the bills
• Someone has to replace the oil filter in the car
• Someone has to greet the customers
• Someone has to stay late and lock up
• Someone has to teach Sunday school
• Someone has to run the soundboard during the service
That’s what life is all about -- a whole bunch of small things that “someone” has to do.
There is a further implication here. One of the best cures for boredom is to get involved helping others.
Illus: 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.”
Illus: You’ve probably seen the following quotation many times. It’s over 200 years old and comes originally from the Quakers. “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.
Boredom comes when we focus on our own needs and desires.
We overcome boredom by DOING SOMETHING, but it is not enough to do something, we must…
B. DO SOMETHING WITH PASSION
Eccl. 9:10b says, “Do it with thy might.”
When God’s Word teaches we are to do it with MIGHT, God is saying we need to PUT SOMETHING INTO IT!
Whatever we do, we should do it heartily, with enthusiasm, with passion, with zeal, and with 100% commitment.
Even the most mundane task is worthwhile if we do it in the right spirit.
Someone said, and it is so true, “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing RIGHT!”
• If you are going to be a deacon, DO IT WITH ALL THY MIGHT!
• If you are going to be a Sunday school teacher, DO IT WITH ALL THY MIGHT!
• If you are going to be an Usher, DO IT WITH ALL THY MIGHT!
• If you are going to work in the sound room, DO IT WITH ALL THY MIGHT!
We are to do it with ALL OUR MIGHT and then leave everything else in God’s hands.
Illus: Sam Smith, in Columbia, S.C., grew the largest watermelon in the county. He told a preacher one day how he did it. He said:
• “I plow the soil and get it ready”
• “I plant the seed at the right time”
• “I fertilize the crop”
• “I water the crop when it does not rain”
He said, “I do all that I know to do, and when I have done everything I know to do, I park my tractor under a large tree at the end of the field, take my hat off and I look up to heaven and say, ‘Dear God, I have done my part, now the rest is up to you!’”
WHY SHOULD WE DO IT WITH OUR MIGHT?
Because there is coming a day when you will not be able to do what you can do now.
For example:
• You will be too feeble to attend church
• You will be too feeble to teach a Sunday School Class
• You will be too feeble to be an usher
• You will be too feeble to sing in the choir
You might want to do these things, but you won’t be able to.
Look at Eccl. 9:10c, we read, “…for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
There are Christians who are in heaven today who would love to come back and sit in the pew you are sitting in today.
And if they did come back, they would be heavily involved in the work of God, doing everything with all their might.
Illus: The old invitation hymn, “Softly and tenderly” say it best.
It goes like this:
• 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.
The point is, do whatever you’re going to do…DO IT NOW.
If you intend:
• To do something
• Be something
• Try something
Do it now!
Illus: A little boy would go next door to play with his friend, and every time he went, he saw the little boy’s grandmother reading her Bible. The little boy said, “Every time I come over here she is reading her Bible. Why does she read her Bible so much?” The little boy said, “She is cramming for her final exam!!”
Conclusion:
Are you bored with life?
Boredom is a warning sign that we are living for self when we ought to be living for God.
I want to ask you today, this last week God has given you, OUT OF THOSE SEVEN DAYS WHAT DID YOU DO FOR THE LORD?
Wake up! Don’t you realize God your Creator put you here to DO SOMETHING FOR HIM!!!
Illus: It was said of preacher John Wesley that he traveled over 250,000 miles on horseback over a period of 40 years preaching the Gospel. He preached 40,000 sermons. He wrote 400 books. Knew 10 languages.
At 83 he was annoyed that he couldn’t write more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes. At 86 he was ashamed because he couldn’t preach more than twice a day.
He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning. (In other words, he thought he was getting lazy)
WHAT A LEGACY THIS MAN OF GOD LEFT BEHIND!!!
If he had lived a life of idleness we never WOULD HAVE EVER HEARD OF HIM.
We have looked at:
I. THE CAUSE OF BOREDOM
II. THE CURE FOR BOREDOM
As I give the invitation:
If you are not saved, please come to the Lord today!
If you are saved but not living a committed life, please commit your life:
• Word of God
• Sharing the Gospel.
You tube – First Baptist of Lykesland
