Proverbs 24:30–34: I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.
Insight
Graphic is the portrayal of the sluggard’s field, as by an eye-witness who stood sadly gazing upon it, and pondered as he viewed its desolation. Thorns and nettles flourishing, but fruit absent; the wall broken down; and everything speaking of lack of care, and slothful indifference. May we too gaze upon it, and consider it well! 1
Application
Consider the six bold statements in Romans 13:11–14, that will keep us from being a sluggard and cause us to be fruitful:
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Motivation
We should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 1 Corinthians 10:6
An unwillingness to work is rooted in an unwillingness to surrender to His Lordship. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Father, please grant me Your vision for work, and bless me with Your grace to be faithful.
1. Ironside, H. A. (1908). Notes on the Book of Proverbs. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Bros.
