November 1
Ezekiel 4-6
Psalm 119:73-80
Proverbs 26:13-15
Hebrew 10:1-18
Laziness
“A lazy one says, ‘There is a lion on the road! A lion is in the public square!’ As the door turns on its hinges, so does a lazy one on his bed. A lazy one buries his hand in the dish; he is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.” Proverbs 26:13-15 NIV
Proverbs has much to say about laziness. God does not bless laziness. God expects His followers to be hard working and diligent. The Bible is very clear that laziness is sin.
1. Laziness leads to poverty and hunger-
“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. “He who gathers in summer is a prudent son; but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.” Proverbs 10:4-5 (ESV)
“The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”
Proverbs 20:4 (ESV)
“Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of
bread.” Proverbs 20:13 (ESV)
“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will suffer hunger.” Proverbs 12:24 (ESV)
“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command, if anyone is not
willing to work, let him not eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (ESV)
(Proverbs 24:30-34, 21:25, 19:15, 12:27, 15:19, 6:6-11, 12:11)
2. God created us to work, not to be idle.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Genesis 2:15 (ESV)
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10 (ESV)
“And whatever you do, in word or deed do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:17, 23 (ESV)
(I Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 6:12, I Thessalonians 4:10-12, Ephesians 2:10, John 9:4)
How are you spending your time? When you are at work are you a good employee? Are you diligent and hard working? Are you putting in the 8 hours of work you are being paid for? Or are you spending a lot of time on social media, gossiping, doing personal business, or otherwise goofing off? What about your leisure time? Are you spending it wisely? Are you spending time serving God? Are you volunteering at church or with other worthwhile organizations? Are you exercising to take care of the body God gave you? Are you spending time growing in your relationship with the Lord through group Bible studies, podcasts, or personal time spent in God’s Word? Or are you spending your free time watching TV, playing video games, or spending hours on social media? Those things are not bad in moderation, but if you are neglecting the things you should be doing and wasting time on things that have very little value, you need to reevaluate your priorities. One day we will each give an account for how we spent the time He gave us. Will He say we spent it wisely or that we wasted it?
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