Are you acting as if God does not exist? It is not that you have denied Him per se, but you have confined Him to a remote corner of your life. You only run to Him when you are in serious trouble, or when you have no one else to turn to. If so, this message is for you. Don't think this includes you? Read on, you may be surprised at what you find within yourself.

     "A rabbi once summoned the townsfolk to meet in the town square for an important announcement. The merchant resented having to leave his business. The housewife protested against leaving her chores. But obedient to the call of the spiritual leader, the townspeople gathered together to hear the announcement their teacher was to make. When all were present, the rabbi said, 'I wish to announce that there is a God in the world.' That was all he said, but the people understood. They had been acting as if God did not exist. While they observed ritual and recited the correct order of prayers, their actions did not comply with the commandments of God. Their daily bread was sought and taken with little thought and reverence for God.

     This parable is timely for our day. We may not openly deny God so much as try to confine Him to some remote corner of life away from our daily doings, associations, experiences, joys, heartaches, and all commonplace things." - Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations

     The Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines a "trifler" as one who handles something idly; treats someone or something as unimportant; playfulness, unconcern, and indulgent contempt.

How many:

• handle their walk with the Lord idly?
• treat God or the things of God as Someone or Something unimportant?
• are playful, unconcerned, or even have an indulgent contempt for the things of God such as prayer, fasting, the study of God's Word, witnessing, or fellowshipping with other believers?

     The Scriptures give us several examples of triflers. Let's examine them and see what particular characteristics classified them as triflers in the sight of God:

1. The Wilderness Dwellers

        Deuteronomy 8:10-20 describes the people of God after He had brought them through the wilderness into the land of milk and honey. They were said to have "eaten and art full ... built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;" their "herds, flocks, silver, and gold" was multiplied. In fact, all that they had was multiplied.

        Instead of blessing the Lord for the plenty that they were enjoying, their hearts were lifted up in self-conceit, self-confidence, and self-complacency whereby they attributed their great blessings to themselves and forgot the Lord their God, their great benefactor - "My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth."

        They forgot God in that they did not keep up their duties toward Him - "in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I command Thee this day."

        They forgot God's past mercies and the place where He brought them from to get them to the place of abundance and prosperity - "and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not..."

        They forgot God in that they walked after "other gods" and served and worshipped them.

   
   

2. Israel, the People of God

   Isaiah 43:22 "But thou hast not called upon Me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of Me, O Israel."

   Isaiah 64:7 "And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee: for Thou hast hid Thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities."

   Hosea 10:2 "Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty..."

        Both Isaiah and Hosea addressed the problem of trifling, found among the Israelites. These people became distinguished for their neglect of God.

        They neglected their duties of prayer and worship - "But thou hast not called upon Me, O Jacob ... And there is none that calleth upon Thy name..." Their devotion toward the Lord grew cold and wearisome - "...but thou hast been weary of Me, O Israel." Because of their "iniquities," they fell under a spirit of heavy slumber and remarkable indifference - "And there is none...that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee..."

        Imagine that! No one in the entire nation felt stirred to "take hold" of God in prayer. No one saw their great need to seek Him for strength and power.

        The reason for such coldness and indifference? Their heart was "divided" between God and the idols of the land. They had a "divided" allegiance. They offered Him a half-hearted service with "divided" affections.

   
   

3. The Worldly Crowd

        These are the people who consider the world and its treasures as being "more valuable" than God. They are overtaken by a careless, prevailing indifference to Him. The affairs of this world are simply too pressing for them to lay them aside for "such triviality as the concerns of their eternal souls." They feel an overwhelming necessity and an obligation to tend to the affairs of the world in which they live. Resultantly, they have no time or hardly any time for such spiritual pursuits as "prayer, worship, witnessing, fasting, and the reading and studying of God's Word." They have an inordinate concern for the things of the flesh. Their love for increase, abundance, and earthly friends and relationships diverts them from any serious spiritual pursuits.

        Matthew 22 describes a people who "made light" of the invitation to the wedding feast of a certain king. - "But they made light of it..." They treated it with contempt simply because they were too caught up with their worldly employments - "...and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise."

        Luke 14:16-24 describes a similar invitation whereby a "...A certain man made a great supper, and bade many..." However, the care and concern for worldly affairs and relationships caused them to slight the invitation:

   Luke 14:18-20 "And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come."

   
   

4. The Willingly Blind And Deaf

   Acts 28:27 "For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

        These people did not have a love for the Truth. Something else had a grip on their hearts. When they heard the preaching or teaching of the Word, they did not allow it to change them or govern their lives.

        Resultantly, their hearts became hardened - "waxed gross ... their ears dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed."

     So we see from the Scriptures that there were people who were mere "triflers" when it came to the things of God. They treated Him as unimportant with a certain playfulness, unconcern, and even an indulgent contempt.

Think over these questions:

• Are we enjoying great prosperity and, as a result, have grown self-confident, self-complacent, and self-conceited, feeling no great need for God?

• Have we directly or indirectly attributed our wealth and blessings to our own hard work and ingenuity rather than to the favor and mercy of God?

• Have we resultantly forgotten all of His past mercies to us and our families and our rightful duties of obedience to Him?

• Are our devotions cold and indifferent?

• Have we been overtaken by a spirit of heavy, spiritual slumber?

• When was the last time that we felt stirred enough to seek God with all of our hearts?

• Are our hearts divided between the Lord and some idol? Consequently, do we offer Him a half-hearted service?

• Are we overtaken by a careless, indifference in any godly pursuits because worldly affairs have become overly pressing whereby we have no time for anything else?

• Has the love for abundance and increase along with the desire for earthly friends and pleasure stolen our affection for the Lord?

• Do we find that any invitation from the Holy Ghost is treated with contempt?

• Have we so hardened our hearts to God's Truth insomuch that our eyes and ears are closed to any Word of instruction and direction from Him?

     If we can answer "yes" to any of the above questions, then we have become mere triflers in our walk with God.

In warning to us all, Matthew Henry wrote:

     "Making light of Christ, and of the great salvation wrought out by Him, is the damning sin of the world ... Multitudes perish eternally through mere carelessness, who have not any direct aversion, but a prevailing indifference, to the matter of their souls, and an unconcernedness about them ... The business and profit of worldly employments prove to many a great hindrance in closing with Christ ... whatever we have of the world in our hands, our care must be to keep it out of our hearts, lest it come between us and Christ."

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