How Do We Get Off Our Duffs?

"Get off your duff and go do something!”  I can still hear my dad say this to me when I was a kid.   One reason I hear it is because I say it to my own kids from time to time.  It must be a father thing.  If it is, we shouldn't be surprised that our heavenly Father says the same thing to His children.  

This seems to be God's tone in Revelation 2:5 (NIV) when He says, Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.  The resurrected Jesus is speaking here and there is no doubt His tone is serious.  He is talking to a church that has become complacent in its service to God’s kingdom.  The things they did at first were the things they did out of their love for Jesus and their gratitude for the grace of salvation (See Matt 25).  Jesus is not simply addressing an action problem, He is addressing a love problem.  He says in the preceding verse (2:4):  I hold this against you:  You have forsaken your first love.

So how does one get off his or her duff?   We don’t get off our duff by simply “doing something.”  Jesus wants us to do something out our love for Him which demonstrates love for others.  So here is a suggestion to start with.   For many Christians our favorite “duff time” is on Sunday morning.  We come, find our seat and…you know….sit on our duff.  Why not take that time to greet others, to say hello to those you don’t know well, to find out what is happening in the lives of others and show them your concern?  Doesn’t that sound like a deed of love Jesus wants us to do?

Try it this Sunday.  You don’t have to greet everybody.  If you find this loving activity difficult, make your goal one or two people.   Let’s take the command of God and His warning seriously and get off our duffs for Jesus.