Don’t be Lazy

Proverbs 12:27 Lazy people don’t get what they want, but riches come to those who work hard.

When does the need for rest become our excuse for laziness? We all need to rest from our labours, but there’s a fine line between genuine rest and a slack spirit that’s tempted into laziness.

People sometimes ask me why I work so hard. Simple. Every day countless people die into a Christless eternity. God’s called me to tell them about Jesus, so there’s a real urgency about what I do.

Sometimes I work too hard, perhaps you too. And despite the fact that I’m not naturally lazy, I’ll be honest … every now and then there’s a temptation to slow down, to coast, to take it easy.

That in itself can be a form of rest, but if it goes on for too long it becomes laziness. King Solomon of Israel, three thousand years ago, put it as bluntly as this:

Proverbs 12:27 Lazy people don’t get what they want, but riches come to those who work hard.

Personally, I’m not all that interested in riches. What I want is to encourage you in your faith walk; to see countless more come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

But no matter what our personality type or makeup, the temptation’s always there to slip into laziness. Martyred Chinese pastor, Watchman Nee, once put it like this.

“Frequently what we say is that rest is merely laziness. But our body requires respite as do our mind and spirit. Yet we should never rest because of a laziness that arises from the evil nature within. How often laziness and emotional distaste for work join, to employ physical fatigue as a cover up.”

Lazy people don’t get what they want, but riches come to those who work hard.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.