The Lazy Man vs. The Faithful Man

(Prov 15:19 NLT) A lazy person's way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open highway.

This morning we continue our current series I know we have been jumping around a little bit lately, but since this verse lines up with the last two, I need to remind you of what they said.

In verse 17 Solomon told us to avoid hatred and to walk in love. In verse 18 Solomon told us to control our emotions and to walk in patience. In this verse he warns us about the perils of laziness and how the way of the upright is an open highway.

Now, you may be thinking, “Wait a minute. The way of the upright is not a bed of roses. You said yourself that being a believer does not exonerate us from challenges.” You are right, but I believe Solomon is telling us that while the path of the believer may not always be easy, at least our challenges will not be self-inflicted. When we walk with God and do things His way we will get positive results.

The Father tells us to walk in love, to be honest, to work hard, to respect authority, to control our emotions, to save and give, and seek to BE a blessing every day of our lives. If we live that way we can’t help but be blessed.

God’s way works if we work it!

However, if we do the things God tells us to avoid, we will also reap a harvest, but it will not be a pleasant one. The Father tells us to avoid laziness, hatred, dishonesty, greed, backbiting, jealousy, and being over-emotional. If we choose to do these things we will find ourselves walking down the path blocked with briers our text describes.

While the way of the upright may not always be an easy road, at least we won’t have to deal with the harvests of bad seeds. We can face every challenge knowing that it came from external sources and therefore, it has no power over us.

The believer can face every hindrance with an overcoming mentality that is birthed from their overwhelming confidence in God and His Word.

Let’s talk about laziness, since that is the focus of the text. The lazy person always finds an excuse why not to do something. The lazy man imagines all the difficulties he will face when dealing with a challenge and even if he wanted to do it, it takes him no time to talk himself into avoiding the work set before him. He always finds some reason why not to move forward. Someone said,

“The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.”

It’s interesting that we are discussing “The Lazy Man” today, because Saturday night the Father had me to preach a message entitled, “The Faithful Man.” God is looking for you and I (His children) to be faithful to Him, His Word, His will, and His way. The Father is looking for His children to believe Him and serve Him ALL the days of their lives. There is no retirement plan for the believer. Once you are Born-Again, the Father expects you to walk by faith every day of your life. Don’t let Him down.

So what does this mean to you ? It means you have a choice. You can either be the faithful man that the Father expects you to be, avoiding unnecessary pitfalls and sowing the right seed. Or you can be the lazy man the Father warns you no to be, and you will quickly find your path full of painful thorns. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.

What will you choose?

Father, I thank You for teaching me Your truth and for exposing me to the pitfalls of laziness. I declare, by faith, that I will be the faithful man You desire for me to be. I walk in love, I am honest, I maintain my integrity, I work hard, I respect authority, I control my emotions, I save and give, and I seek to BE a blessing every day of my life. I sow the right seed and I reap the right harvest. I become the man You desire for me to be, by working hard at it for the rest of my life. I am determined to die empty. I will get out of me, all that You have put into me, before I die. I maximize my purpose and potential by overcoming laziness and procrastination. In Jesus’ name. Amen!