Lazy: January 28, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 28, 2013.

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 to him if he lost the talent the master gave him, so he hid it in the ground. The master responded by saying that he was a wicked and lazy man.

God is our master and we are His servants. God gives us gifts of talent, time and resources according to our ability. He expects us to use the gifts He has given us wisely and productively. Laziness makes us unproductive. When we are too lazy to use the gifts God has given us we are like the lazy servant who buried the talent he was given in the ground.

God has given each of us various talents and abilities and He has given some more than others. It is not about a matter of how much we were given but how well we use what God has given us. Since all that we have belongs to Him, He expects us to be faithful servants 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, links laziness and wickedness. This is because being lazy means one is basically accomplishing nothing in life to honor the Lord. God sees this type of person who is not using his God given talent, as useless to furthering His kingdom. So often living this kind of lazy life, leads to self-centeredness and activities that are wicked 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, and unfaithful servants are not only 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 seek a place to serve God and find you can do what you thought was 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. When we are willing to serve God He will find a way to use us.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Hebrews 13:8.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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 and guide me to greater spiritual influence on my family.