TACTICAL LIVING

Paul spends a little time with an emphasis on something we are supposed to do. We are to … admonish the idle (1 Thes 5:14). These three words are very pointed and very powerful.

Three words …

• ADMONISH … reason with, exhort, counsel. warn another one. This verb is a way of telling us to help some one, to warn them and share wisdom. Maybe direct them or give them insight.
• THE … when the Greek gives a definite article that makes this more than just a vague person, but concrete, definite, there are people out there like this.
• IDLE … this is only place in the Bible this word appears. Because of this, some translations take a broader understanding. And it is this word I want to focus on today.

IDLE … lazy, faithhearted, unorderly, unruly, disorderly, idle. WOW, pretty broad. So, what its the Greek … ataktos. The root of this word is where we get the word, tactic, tactics. And with the prefix, a, which means without, means aktaktos stands as NO-TACTICS. And the ones without tactics will be idle, disorderly, and maybe even unruly.

SOOOOO ……. we are to admonish, encourage, exhort the ones that are without tactics on the way they should be living. The veteran professional athletes give insight to the rookies. Seasoned hikers will give insight, hints, advice to those that are just starting out are getting ready to take a big adventure.

On our spiritual journey, what advice should we give to the newer Christians?  Well, start in Genesis and go through to the maps, you will find lots, I mean lots of wisdom. Today, let’s just look at 9 verse .. 9 verses in Psalm 37. (esv)

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Take a minute. Reread those verses. Look at he verbs and what God is telling us, how God is telling us to live, what tactics we should have in this life. There are a lot of tactics in these 9 verses.

So, stop being idle, stop having no plan … and walk in His ways.