What Keeps Me from Growing (3 of 10) - Laziness

Laziness. It destroys us in life and robs us in death. It's another one of those temptations that keep us from growing spiritually. 

 

Lessons from the lazy person as the writer of Proverbs saw him or her.

1. Unflappable Example - Proverbs 6:6–11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”
2. Unseasonable Timing - Proverbs 10:4–5 “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”
3. Unpleasant Irritant - Proverbs 10:26 “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.”
4. Undesirable Position - Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labour.”
5. Unbreakable Principle - Proverbs 12:27 “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.”
6. Unfulfilled Longings - Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
7. Unpleasant Path - Proverbs 15:19 “The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.”
8. Unreasonable Sleep - Proverbs 19:15 “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.”
9. Undiscovered Motivation - Proverbs 19:24–25 “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.”
10. Unwise Planning - Proverbs 20:4 “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”
11. Unfulfilled Desires - Proverbs 21:25–26 “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labour. All-day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.”
12. Unreasonable Excuses - Proverbs 22:13 “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’”
13. Unkept Life - Proverbs 24:30–34 “I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

 

A BAKER’S DOZEN OF VERSES ABOUT LAZINESS

1. Proverbs 6:6 – 11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”
2. Proverbs 10:4 – 5 “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”
3. Proverbs 10:26 “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.”
   Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labour.”
4. Proverbs 12:27 “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.”
5. Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
6. Proverbs 15:19 “The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.”
7. Proverbs 19:15 “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.”
8. Proverbs 19:24 – 25 “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.”
9. Proverbs 20:4 “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”
10. Proverbs 21:25 – 26 “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labour. All-day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.”
11. Proverbs 22:13 “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” (Unreasonable fear.)
12. Proverbs 24:30 – 34 “I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” (Unkempt life.)
13. Proverbs 26:13 – 16 “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!’ As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.” (Unbelievable self-assurance.)
14. Proverbs 28:19 “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.” (Unproductive use of time.)