Fighting the Flesh #13: Laziness

“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.”

—Proverbs 6:10-11

Some think that work began after the fall, but that’s not right. God “worked” when He created the universe. And He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to “work it and keep it”—Genesis 2:15. Work is part of the created order, given to man to fulfill his God-ordained purpose. It is the means by which we secure income and provide for our families and faithfully reflect God’s glory on a daily basis.

But, like everything in our world, work too, has gone through the fall. And now, we work not so much to be God’s image bearers, rather because we have to in order that we might be able to fund our comforts and pleasures. In fact, we have become addicted pleasure seekers, working for our pleasures rather than finding pleasure in our work. The result has been disastrous and rather than being industrious, we have become lazy. Proverbs warns us of laziness and its consequences, “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.” To be lazy means to be poor—with poverty coming upon us suddenly.

The Bible talks a great deal about being lazy and seeking too much rest. To do so is to invite calamity and poverty into one’s home. It is best then to work for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31)—doing it quietly (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12), honestly (Ephesians 4:28), earning our own living (2 Thessalonians 3:12), with our own hands (Ephesians 4:28), so that we are not dependent on anyone (1 Thessalonians 4:12), and that outsiders may have nothing bad to say about us (1 Thessalonians 4:12). God has made work to be such a part of who we are that to not work earns His rebuke, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat”—1 Thessalonians 3:10.

May we all do the work that God has given us to do during our time upon this earth to His glory. May our work draw others to the Savior and may His name be uttered by all of those who see the work that we do for Him. Amen.