Lazy: March 11, 2010

March 11. TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY MARCH 11, 2010.

LAZY

DEFINITION:

Adverse to or disinclined to work or exertion; slow; sluggish; lack of interest or drive.

SCRIPTURE:

“But his Lord answered and said unto him, ‘you wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.’” Matthew 25:26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Many people today are possibly considered lazy. Lazy people really have too much time on their hands with very little purpose in life. Since they have so much time they either watch hours of television, go to movies, surf the internet, read papers or books and just sit and accomplish nothing. God has given us the gift of time and He expects us to use our time to His glory. Unfortunately many believers do not understand this or just do not respond to what God expects of them.

In the parable of the talents that we read about in Matthew 25, Jesus gave to each of the three servants the number of talents determined by their ability. He gave them no more than He thought they could handle. When the servants came back to report on how they invested their talents the master responded to the servant that received five talents and had doubled them by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The same response was given by the master to the servant that received two talents and doubled them. But the servant who received one talent told his master that he was afraid of what he might do if he lost the talent given him, so he hid it in the ground. The master responded by saying that he was a wicked and lazy man.

This parable contains a lesson for us. It is not a sin to be lazy but being lazy makes one unsuccessful and God does not want us to be unsuccessful. The unsuccessful and lazy person is most often self-centered and living for his own pleasure. Many of these people talk about getting away from their laziness tomorrow and tomorrow never arrives.

God has given each of us various talents and abilities and since all that we have belongs to Him, He expects us to use these by honoring Him and to use our God given abilities the way that He has called us to do. Those that are diligent in using their abilities to serve the Lord will be rewarded and those who are lazy will receive God’s condemnation.

This verse we have written above found in Matthew 25:26 combines laziness and wickedness. This is because being lazy means one is basically accomplishing nothing in life and God sees this type of person, not using his God given talent, as useless to furthering His kingdom. And so often living this kind of lazy life, leads to wicked daily activities in God’s sight.

There are many verses in Proverbs that refer to laziness but none of them are positive. Proverbs 10:4 tells us that “lazy hands make a man poor but diligent hands bring wealth.” In Proverbs 12:24 we are told that “the lazy man will be put to forced labor and the hand of the diligent rule.”

Just as this parable tells us, it is the same for us today. Faithful servants are rewarded by God and given more responsibility but unfaithful servants are not rewarded but also have what they have taken away from them. If you are lazy in your job or lazy around your home you will not be rewarded by God with greater responsibilities. In Proverbs 13:4 it tells us that the lazy man desires and gets nothing. For the lazy there is no satisfaction in life.

Laziness also cannot be hidden. Proverbs 24:30-31 reads that when one goes by the field of a lazy man you will find it over grown with weeds and thorns. These verses should challenge all believers not to be lazy but to be diligent in serving our Lord.

You can increase your vision and find a place to serve God and then look to do the impossible. When we say impossible we refer to even little things like giving an hour or two a week to teaching Sunday school or being a youth sponsor in your church. Give some time to sing in the choir. Volunteer to help at your children’s school. These are just ideas to help you enlarge your vision and to begin serving God in places where you have not served before.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

PRAYER:

Forgive me Lord for the tendency I have had to be lazy in my walk with You. Increase my vision today and open doors for me to serve You. Help me to begin at home where I can have a greater influence on my family.