Walking with the Wise #398: Laziness vs. Industry

“The desire of the sluggard kills him,


for his hands refuse to labor.
All day long he craves and craves,

but the righteous gives and does not hold back.”
—Proverbs 21:25-26

The Christian is to be known by industry and charity—working with one’s hands and providing for those in need, as the Bible says:

“Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living”—2 Thessalonians 3:12.

We are not to be lazy, but work, using the skills God has given us to make money and support our family and church. If we are lazy, the Bible gives us a cold warning through the apostle Paul:

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat”—2 Thessalonians 3:10.

Laziness is so serious that Paul commands the church to ban the sluggard from eating! The sluggard, though he is lazy and not working, still craves more and more. But the righteous, who is industrious, gives and does not hold back. He is not worried about what he will receive in return, but gives generously to the Lord, entrusting Him with the results.

The Bible speaks a great deal about work, and our need to be industrious. Anything else is disobedience and brings reproach to the name of Jesus Christ. Are you industrious? Are you working? If so, do you see yourself working for men or for the Lord? Realize that God wants you to obey your employer, not as a means of people pleasing, but as a means of pleasing God. As the Bible says,

“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ”—Colossians 3:22-24.

Work with your hands, be industrious, and then use the money you receive to make His kingdom known so that a generation yet unborn may come to know the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.