The Sluggard And The Diligent

Proverbs 13:4(NASB) says, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat”.   What is it that makes that “soul” different in our life and leads us to enjoying a full life – the kind of life God intended for us. As we look briefly into this verse today, we see a great comparison between being lazy and just desiring stuff and working hard to achieve something and have something.  I like the way the NKJV version and the ESV versions of the Bible bring this verse to life. NKJV says… 4The soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. ESV says… 4The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

A lazy person has desires (craves refers to a deep-seated physical drive or appetite; cf. “craving” in 13:2), but his desires are not satisfied because he is not willing to work (Tyndale Bible Commentary). However, diligence enables a person to be satisfied” Proverbs (13:4; 21:25, 26) bring out that the sluggard is restless and lives with unsatisfied desire. Proverbs 21:25-26 give us more insight onto the anxiety of the sluggard and the heart of the hard worker. It says, “The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, for his hands refuse to work; All day long he is craving, while the righteous gives and does not hold back”.  Don’t miss this important fact, that the righteous give and do not hold back.  Let’s use our diligence to give to others and be a blessing to everyone we meet. 

Let us keep in mind that when we are tempted to sit back and do nothing to remember that it just breeds trouble for us. It puts us in a downward spiral of discontentment, frustration, and robs us of being happy and living a life full of purpose, meaning and seeing God bless the work of our hands.  “Who really wants to be sluggard?  The flip side is working hard and enjoying a rich soul, and seeing God bless the work of your hands.

Are You Slothful?

Are you slothful? Is there an area in your life that’s full of sloth? Is there an area in your business that’s slothful? Is there an area in your process that’s slothful, lax or halfway completed? Don’t bring sloth in with you into the next season. Leave sloth behind. Let God lead your hands as you read this life-transforming message.

As humans, we’re made for work; work gives us meaning. In fact, work begins with God in the first book of the Bible: Genesis. In the creation story (see Genesis 1), God works for six days and rests on the seventh. This is the example we as people, made in the image of God, are suppose to follow. If we don’t, the Bible has some tough words for us. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “…The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (NIV)

How do we abandon laziness? We find what it is that we love doing that serves other people. Instead of focusing on what it is that will make us the most money for an “early retirement,” we focus on what it is that God has called us to do to give back to the community. If you don’t know what it is that you love to do, then seek out someone who can pray with you and help you find it.

Wherever you go, God is with you – watching over you, protecting you, and providing the truth you need for every situation. The question is, will you open your heart to His Word, apply it to your life, and allow God to change you so that He can use you in ways far greater than you can imagine?

Charles Stanley