The Landmine Of Slothfulness
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; . . . ”
(2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)
Many people never stop to realize that laziness is a sin. But slothfulness is like any other landmine in that it can hurt or destroy us. To be constantly idle and fruitless is contrary to God’s teachings. And anything that goes against His Word is a sin. In the parable of the talents, Jesus said of the servant who had buried his master’s money, “You wicked, lazy servant!” (Matthew 25:26 NIV) The Lord put wickedness and slothfulness in the same undesirable category.
The book of Proverbs gives us a description of the lazy person. First, he is a procrastinator – somebody who puts off what needs to be done. (20:4) Second, he uses any excuse he can to avoid work. (22:13) Third, he wastes time. (6:9 – 11) And finally, a slothful person is neglectful and careless regarding what is going on around him. (24:30 – 32)
Laziness does not fit who we are as believers. God expects us to live purposefully and work conscientiously; to be lazy and turn out a poor performance damages our testimony. Proverbs 25:19 warns, “Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.” A lazy, untrustworthy person leaves tasks unfinished and, as a result, is a poor witness for Christ. What will unbelievers see in such a life that they would desire for themselves?
We have a wonderful opportunity to participate in God’s work, and that includes performing well in our vocation as a sign of obedience. Choose to work for Him today.
About the Author
This article was written by Charles Stanley. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/charles-stanley/
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