Laziness

The Dangers of Laziness

(Prov 19:15 NIrV) Anyone who doesn't want to work sleeps his life away. And a person who refuses to work goes hungry.

This morning we continue in the book of Proverbs. To say that Solomon was not a fan of lazy people is an understatement. His writings are riddled with calls to diligence, dedication and hard work. In the sixth chapter Solomon said, "But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber" (9-11).

Those words were preceded with a lesson from the ant. Solomon said that ants, "Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter."

The point is that we should be self-motivated, hard working, representatives for God every day. And I cannot overlook the fact that Solomon made a connection between laziness and poverty. He makes it clear that if you are too lazy to work, then you will find yourself with scarcity, lack, and poverty, and it will NOT be God's fault.

In the New Testament, in Paul's second letter to the church at Thessalonica, he said, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2nd Thes 3:10). Paul had received word that some of the members of the church in Thessalonica were more focused on being busybodies, than being busy. He went on to say, "Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living" (verses 11,12).

If that was not enough, in the 10th chapter Solomon said, "He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth" (v.4). In the 12th chapter he said, "Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense" (v.11) and "If you are lazy, you will never get what you are after, but if you work hard, you will get a fortune" (v.27). And finally, another translation of our verse for this morning reads: "Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry."

What's the overall message here? Simply put, it is that we, as believers, should be diligent in and dedicated towards the things of God and His overall plan for our lives. Becoming a Christian does not give you the right to spend the rest of your life sleeping and resting in the presence of God; or even worse, idly sleeping your life away. No! The word diligent (in some form) appears over 60 times in the Bible. If you want to end up where God wants you to be at the end of your life it is going to take WORK. If you are lazy you will never get there and you may very well fall into the grips of poverty because of your laziness.

So what does this mean to you? A few things:
1. Walking with God does not exonerate you from work.
2. Diligent work is honorable and expected from God. You are not called to sit, you are called to serve and you serve Him by DOING all that He leads you to DO!
3. If you decide to maximize your opportunities you will reap the benefits of hard work.
4. Diligent work leads to prosperity, laziness leads to poverty.
5. Laziness will cost you. If you fail to move forward - by having a daily routine of personal development - you will eventually go backwards. In other words, if you don't choose to progress you are choosing to regress.

Father, I understand the dangers of laziness and I declare, by faith, that I will not fall into its trap. I refuse to idly sleep my life away. I am active, inventive, inspired and industrious in all that I put my hands to do. I am committed to doing my part in Your provision for my life. I know it is not just about me, but I also know that it is not just about You either. You have a part and I have a part and I am committed to fulfilling mine. As I do, I know You will fulfill Yours and bless the work of my hands. You are a God of progression, not regression, and I choose to actively progress every day of my life! In the Jesus' name, Amen!