These Shoes Do Not Fit Christians

We are all very familiar with the various kinds of shoes that people wear. As I look into the scriptures, I see that there are some shoes that do not fit Christians and we should not be caught wearing them.

Before I talk to you about spiritual shoes that we should not wear, I want to tell you something humours about a man who went to buy some shoes.

Illus: He walked into a shoe store and asked for a pair of size 10 shoes.

• The salesman says, "But, sir, I can see from up here you're at least a size 11."

• The guy says, "Just bring me size 10 shoes like I asked."

• The salesman brings them, the guy stuffs his feet into them, ties them tight, and then he stands up, obviously in pain.

• The salesman just has to ask, "Sir, why must you wear these shoes that are to small for you?”

• He says to the salesman, "I lost my business and my house, I live with my mother-in-law, my wife is mean to me, my daughter and son is rebellious. The only pleasure I have in life is taking off these shoes."

But I want to talk to you shoes that christians should not be wearing.

But at the close of this sermon I want to talk to you about one kind of shoes that christians should wearing every day.

As I preach this sermon, you must determine if you are wearing any of these shoes the Bible talks about.

For example, in God’s church today we see where a lot of folks are wearing:

I. LOAFERS

God’s Word has something to say about LOAFERS.

In James 1:22-23 we read, “But be ye DOERS OF THE WORD, and NOT HEARERS ONLY, deceiving your own self. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a DOER, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror.”

Notice, God’s Word says we are to be a DOER OF THE WORD! There are many things the Word of God tells us we should be DOING.

Things we should be doing….

• 1. Wish Someone A Happy Birthday A birthday ...

• 2. Congratulate Someone’s New Accomplishment ...

• 3. Check-In on someone that is sick ...

• 4. Send A Surprise Thank You Card In The Mail ...

• 5. Invite a Lonely Friend Over For Coffee ...

• 6. Volunteer Your Services ...

• 7. Cook Your Family’s Favorite Meal ...

• 8. Leave An I Love You Note for Family Members ...

• 9.Invite someone to church…

• 10. Buy some lunch…

Even though God’s Word tells us we should be doing these things many are not doing them because they are wearing LOAFERS!

WHAT IS LAZINESS?

I like this definition; “Laziness is to be disinclined to activity, not willing to apply exertion, to move slow, to love of easy things. Never able to achieve an aim, goal, purpose.”

Now physically we all know what laziness is and we detest it.

But spiritually a person can be lazy they have:

• No aim in life

• No goal in life

• No purpose in life

And they accept it as a normal way of living. There is not anything normal about being lazy. God’s Word tells us we are to work 6 and rest 1.

HOW DO WE ACQUIRE LAZINESS?

Laziness is a learned behavior. I know we think that some are born lazy, but that is not true. Laziness is a learned behavior!

No one is born wearing LOAFERS.

Laziness is a LEARNED BEHAVIOR!

Some of the most talented people on the face of this earth are in the church. But those talents are never put to use because many have adopted this behavioral attitude of; “WHAT IS THE LEAST I CAN DO AND GET AWAY WITH IT?”

They have LEARNED to serve God doing the least they can do!

We need to wake up each day with the attitude of the Gazelle and the Lion in Africa.

Illus: Every day in Africa they have learned:

• The gazelle wakes up knowing that it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be eaten.

• The lion wakes up and knows that it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve.

Thus, every morning when the Gazelle and lion wake up they understand this one simple truth – if you want to survive the day then you’d better hit the ground running.

Prov. 6:6-8 says it this way; “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

When we Christians wear LOAFERS, someone said that we develop “furniture disease.” That is we lay on the soafer everytime they get a chance.