Heb 6:12, “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” The beauty of God’s Word is that it is not only inspiring, but also transforming. Here God calls us to imitate or be “followers” of the Godly (“them.”) Yet we must be careful and only imitate that which is true godliness. In order to accomplish this, one cannot be “slothful,” for they will not know who or what to imitate and will end up with a heart of deficiency with a lack of receptivity to God’s truth. The Greek word “slothful” means one with deficiency of heart who is lacking the motive to learn and grow. Being slothful is being lazy towards profoundly learning God’s Word. It is the laziness of the heart which cause dullness toward the truth and receptiveness of His truth, thereby, accepting that which sounds good and feels good, rather than that which is actually righteous. Slothfulness does not look beyond the outward appearance of actions or traditions, while true imitation digs deeply and searches steadily into the depth of living “faith” and active “patience.” Living Faith is the rock-solid trust of continuing to learn, know, and grow in Jesus Christ, while active patience is the strengthening of the inner soul to deal with the overwhelming, hurtful costs and even deeper, various struggles of heart. The who and what of Living Faith and active patience are what we are to be imitators or “followers” of. In so doing we will live the inherit promises of God. So what are you watching and following? The difference will be seen in your example being set as others view you living life.
