“The soul of the sluggard desires and hath nothing:
but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” Proverbs 13:4
We live in a time when we are slaves to the urgency of schedules and appointments, where our meetings and outings dictate the use of our time, and even relationships. We over-commit and over-schedule, and do not give it a second thought. Yet, time is important, and our management of time will give others a glimpse of our priorities and character. While some entertainment as well as leisure is most needed in our busy lives, we need to be very careful that we do not become preoccupied with leisure so much that we failed to meet our obligations to our necessities. Actually, we can be a pain to others when we are stingy with our time, and overbearing when we disregard it! We are to modals, having a Christ-likeness before others even with our time.
The saying, “everything in moderation” runs true in most things…except for sin. When we allow ourselves to become preoccupied with anything that leads us away from what God ask of us is sin. If we read too many novels and neglect God’s Word, those Novels, as good as they may be, become idols or gods in our lives. If we choose to spend all our time in front of the “One Eyed God” known as the TV and neglect to spend time with God, then the TV becomes our priority and a god to us. Anything that takes the place of God or our time with Him, reveals their importance over God’s importance to us. God has but one desire for us and that is to have a personal relationship with Him, and that is not possible unless we spend time with Him. Don’t misunderstand here…I am not at all saying, that reading books and watching TV is a sin. Those things can be a big release to us in order to relax from the stresses in our daily routines. I am however, saying that choosing those things over spending no time with God is not good.
Some people struggle with too much leisure, while others struggle with no leisure at all. Those that suffer with too much are those that Proverbs is talking about….their character represent a spirit of laziness and mismanagement. They are happiest when they are not bothered with anyone or anything.
The sad thing about laziness, is that it robs us of blessings and relationships. The book of Proverbs paints a contrast between the lazy individual and the diligent one. The lazy person does not get out and work but rather lies around the home. He is pictured as one who sleeps when he ought to be working. Proverbs.6:10 He is admonished in those verses to learn from the diligent ant. A great example of a diligent person is found in Proverbs 31. She is a woman that found balance for her life and was blessed for it.
In Gal. 5:1 we are reminded to stand fast in our liberty where Christ has made us free…(to choose) and not be entangled again to the yoke of bondage. Self-discipline is essential to walking in obedience. As we practice self-discipline and begin to abide in what we know, the Spirit of God in us, produces the fruit in us that others will see and desire as well. You see, that is really what our jobs are as God’s Children, to reflect Him to others.
Making a practice of examining ourselves will aid us in becoming better managers of our lives over all. We need to evaluate ourselves to see what areas that we are lacking in and focus on those to bring them under our subjection as Paul said he did in I Cor. 9:27.
Our laziness stems from one thing….our attitude …to conquer it we must learn to actively make it pursue God’s will.
Loving On You Today,
Bren
"I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction."—Proverbs 24:30-32
No doubt Solomon was sometimes glad to lay aside the robes of state, escape from the forms of court, and go through the country unknown. On one occasion, when he was doing so, he looked over the broken wall of a little estate which belonged to a farmer of his country. This estate consisted of a piece of ploughed land and a vineyard. One glance showed him that it was owned by a sluggard, who neglected it, for the weeds had grown right plentifully and covered all the face of the ground. From this Solomon gathered instruction. To a spiritual mind nettles have their use, and weeds have their doctrine. Are not all thorns and thistles meant to be teachers to sinful men? Are they not brought forth of the earth on purpose that they may show us what sin has done, and the kind of produce that will come when we sow the seed of rebellion against God?– C. Spurgeon
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