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A Look At Laziness And Work

Someone has said, “The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.” If an individual desires to follow Christ, he must be willing to work. Our Lord gave His assessment of the value of work when He stated:

“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).

Our Lord emphatically promotes His disciples [followers] to work:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16; cf. John 15:8).

In fact, God promoted the value of work as far back as the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). The apostle Paul promoted work as being a necessity (2 Thessalonians 3:10; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:11).

Laziness, which the Bible calls “slothfulness,” has always been a plight of man. If we look at the book of Proverbs, the idea of laziness is always seen in a negative light. Let us look at a few characteristics and observations of the lazy individual along with pertinent Scriptures:

• The lazy person loves to sleep excessively (Proverbs 19:15; Proverbs 6:9) — In order to get a job to work, one must rise early!
• Lazy folks are wishful thinkers (Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 24:27-34) — The lazy expect to have the same things that the worker has; obviously, our government seems to agree with this view in incorporating the welfare system.
• A lazy person is irritating to others (Proverbs 10:26) — It hurts when we see the lazy person, who is on welfare, fare better than the hard and diligent worker.
• Lazy folks have a life full of troubles (Proverbs 15:19) — Laziness is just plain wrong, and its consequences will always hurt, i.e., family, friends, and the church.
• The lazy person is wasteful (Proverbs 18:9) — As a general rule, a person doesn’t appreciate what he has if he doesn’t have to work for it.
• Lazy people are careless, indifferent, and not teachable (Proverbs 6:6-9) — They don‘t learn by the example set by those who work.
• A lazy person will not even cook what he has caught (Proverbs 12:27) — Lazy non-workers want only the very best, and if they can’t have it, they don’t won’t anything.
• Lazy folks can come up with all kinds of ridiculous excuses for not working (Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 22:13).
• Some lazy people are even too lazy to eat (Proverbs 26:15) — This has to be the very height of laziness.
• The lazy person can be very conceited (Proverbs 26:16) — Laziness causes a person to act foolish and deceptive.
• The lazy person will permit his property to run down — simply because they are not ambitious enough to keep things in repair (Proverbs 24:30-34).
• The lazy person is similar in nature to a door on hinges — it moves, but never goes anywhere (Proverbs 26:14). This individual is not unlike our local school district — lots of activity, but very little progress!
• The lazy person will always be a servant to others (Proverbs 12:24) — The lazy individual will never get ahead. He will always look to others for a handout.

The above passages of Scripture provide ample proof that laziness is condemned in God’s word. The apostle Paul told the brethren at Rome not to be slothful in business (Romans 12:10-11 KJV). Additionally, our Lord states that the unprofitable servant will be cast “into outer darkness” (Matthew 25:30).

The question then arises, “Are we busy in doing the Lord’s work, or are we just wanting to ‘fill-a-pew’ while others are doing the work?”

The story is told of a rooster that was so lazy, that when the other roosters would crow, he would just nod his head!

Brethren, there are far too many members in the Lord’s church today who are just “nodding their heads” while others are doing the work our Lord has commanded us to do (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16). Then there are members in the church who look so busy doing nothing, that they “seem” to be indispensable.

Let’s ask ourselves this final question: “How many souls would be saved, and how much growth would the church experience, if every member were to work as much as I do for the Lord?”

Brethren, the applying of Ecclesiastes 9:10 and 1 Corinthians 15:58 is in order! We must have the mindset of Christ regarding work (Luke 2:48-49; cf. John 4:34; John 5:19; John 5:36; John 9:4; John 17:4), for the time for working in the Lord’s kingdom will soon come to an end (John 9:4; cf. Matthew 28:20 — note “to the end of the age“). Also note Hebrews 9:27 — Our departure from this life may come sooner than we think! (Note the word “appointed”).

Therefore, let us awake from our spiritual sleep and get busy being about our Father’s business (Romans 13:11-12; Ephesians 5:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9; Luke 2:49). Time is of the essence! (cf. Acts 16:6-10 – note the word “immediately“ in vs. 10).