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About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. – Hebrews 5:11 ESV
Greek
νωθροὶ/nōthroi: sluggish, slothful
Why It Matters
Is there anything more frustrating than watching someone you love neglect their potential? I’m not talking about a friend missing a foul shot in a close game, or a child getting a bad grade on a test. When potential is unrealized because a person you care about doesn’t want to put in the effort to see a goal reached, it can be maddening. It’s easy to feel confused, frustrated or even angry toward them. And these emotions don’t surface because you dislike that person; on the contrary, you truly care about them and believe in their potential.
The writer of Hebrews seems to be belittling his readers by calling them nōthroi – sluggish or slothful. English versions of this verse have translated this word “dull of hearing” (ESV) or “spiritually dull” (NLT). But what is actually being communicated is something more like frustration because the writer’s friends have been lazy in their study of the scriptures! Rather than scolding them for not being smart enough to understand what he or she is trying to communicate, this writer with a pastor’s heart is upset that their nōthroi attitude is keeping them from their full spiritual potential. It’s also interesting to note that this frustration is voiced in the middle of a discussion about rest. Rest is good and found in the hope of Christ’s work for us. But being nōthroi is counterfeit rest, and even has the potential to alter the way we experience God’s authentic rest. May we be people who fight against the urge to be nōthroi in our spiritual lives and live up to the potential that Christ sees in us.
Prayer
God, you are worthy of my best. Today, I commit to you everything I am and everything I have held back from you in the past. I choose not to use the hardships in my life as excuses to be spiritually lazy. I ask for you help with this in Jesus’ name.
Application
What will I do with the evil I have allowed in my life?
Scripture
About this Plan
It seems like no matter how hard we try to master it, we are consumed by busyness, along with the stress and exhaustion that come with it. But what would it look like to truly rest in a world of constant access and furious pace? Hebrews lays out a strategy for experiencing refreshment physically, spiritually and emotionally. There is hope for an overworked and fatigued world. Rest Assured.
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