Week 42:
Topic: Laziness and Idleness – Part 1
Bible
Introduction
This present age many people are not willing to work; they prefer enjoyment to working. Some people are so lazy that they don’t even want to use their energy and time for any other thing except enjoyment. This category of people always uses other people to achieve their aim/goal either directly or indirectly.
The plague of laziness is not limited to one race, colour or age bracket. In fact, most people are disinclined/reluctant to activities unless to show off and make their name go viral on the web. Many people are conducive to indolence and they also encourage inactivity unless it will spread their fame (make them to be famous).
Laziness is like a cancer that has spread to every aspect of human life, because majority of people like to be idle or continue doing pleasurable things rather than work.
Since time is very scarce and when one loses an hour/a day/a month without doing anything productive, the time lost can never be regained again. Then do not be idle, but spend your time judiciously.
Please do not procrastinate, whatever that needs to be done today, do not postpone or delay it, because nobody knows what tomorrow will have in stock.
Occurrence in the World
To most people laziness has become an habit and they find it difficult to adjust to an active and productive lifestyle.
Laziness among the Youth: It is common among the youth of today to be idle; in some countries of the world, they call it “hang-out”, whereby they gather together as busybodies, gossiping about other people. They waste valuable time that can be spent to improve their lives and make them better citizens of their community; they did not remember the warning of Paul Apostle which stated that we must not learn to be lazy and spend our time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things we shouldn’t. 1 Timothy 5: 13. Not all the youths that are lazy hang-out, but most of them always say things they ought not. Some concentrate their time and energy on trivial things like games, internet/web browsing/communications and ignore their studies/chores/jobs and the work of God.
Idleness at work: Many people all over the globe exhibit indolence at their jobs. If they are the owners of the businesses, they will be alert, agile and zealous for their businesses to succeed. Nevertheless, if they are hired as employees, they will be sluggish and lazy, unless they have a form of entitlement or award as motivation to perform job dutifully, else traces of slothful will be visible in their lives.
This
lazy attitude is very common among the government workers throughout the world.
In the South Western part of
Laziness and idleness at the Lord’s Vineyard: When people go to the church to pray, most people will only pray briefly and started their talebearing activities. At times they will seat in groups, but what they are discussing is not in the interest of the church. It is issues that can cause division among the worshippers or scatter the whole church.
They will be spreading rumors about other people in the congregation, forgetting the warning of the Bible which says “You shall not go about as talebearer among your people…” Leviticus 19: 16. The unfortunate thing is that the workers of the church that are supposed to show seriousness are not left out of these disgraceful activities.
Even the priests that are receiving wages in order to teach and supervise the congregation are among the talebearers. They will ignore their duties and start doing fruitless works of the darkness. The pastors have forgotten the oath/vow taken when they started their job as a minister of God, to protect the sheep/flocks of the Lord and supervise/keep His vineyard. They must recall their memory and change because “to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” Luke 12: 48. It is time to stop the laziness and idleness in the church of the Lord, since the temple of the Lord is a house of prayer for all nations Mark 11: 17. Therefore, whenever you are in the church or its surroundings please pray fervently and do things that will promote/propagate the Gospel, but no talebearing activities.
God The Wonderful Leader
Do not misunderstand me, I do not say that we must not rest or enjoy ourselves but we must do everything proportionally. Since it is “idle mind that is the Devil’s workshop” then do not be lazy or idle so that Satan will not use you for his glory.
Almighty God demonstrated that humans must not be lazy by working for six days and rested for only one day. Genesis 2: 1-2. Though we human being may not be able to do a ratio 6 to 1, for our working to resting period, we must not be lazy but put in our best. There is a saying that “all work no play makes jack a dull boy”, it is true, but let your playing time be moderate so that it will not lead to laziness.
Laziness is a curse: Many people are very active and industrious concerning their private businesses or careers but they are slack and slothful when it comes to the work of God. The Bible says “Cursed is he who does the work of God deceitfully…” Therefore do not do the work of God carelessly or neglect the work of your heavenly father Jeremiah 48: 10. If you don’t want to become accursed, then do not be slack in doing the work of the Lord. You have to do the work of God whole-heartedly and not with deceit, hypocrisy or laziness, so that the work will be acceptable to the Lord.
It is immaterial if you are energetic and zealous for your job/career/business but negligent toward the work of the Lord, which is the purpose of your creation. Therefore, change today before it is too late.
Week 43:
Topic: Laziness and Idleness – Part 2
Bible
This study will continue with the resemblance/similarities between laziness and immorality.
Similarity Between Laziness and Vices
There are several similarities and links between laziness and vices, therefore do not allow idleness to ruin your life.
The
lazy path is overgrown with thorns: The way of every lazy man is crooked and lazy
person’s life is as difficult as walking through a patch of thorns. The Bible
confirmed this statement by stating that “The way of the lazy man is like a
hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway Proverbs
Laziness
always translates into failure: Laziness is unproductive and lazy people cannot
endure which makes them to miss/lose opportunities that come their way. To
every lazy person, basic necessity of life is a burden and they will look for
somebody to carry it for them. Whatever they start they don’t usually finish it
before they quit, forgetting that “quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit”.
It is for this reason that the Book of Proverbs says, “The lazy man buries his
hand in the bowl, it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth” Proverbs
26:15;
Lazy
people cannot endure, they can start a project but in most cases they won’t
finish it. That is why it is difficult for them to succeed in their
undertakings. The Scripture stated that “the lazy man does not roast what he
took in hunting, but diligence is a man’s precious possession Proverbs
Laziness causes pains and agony: Any lazy person is the architect of his/her situation and they are the enemies of themselves. They always think that they are smarter than others and will certainly get away without performing their own quota/part of the work. The Bible says “as vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is lazy man to those who send him”. If you don’t want to cause untold pains for yourself and irritate your employer, please do not be lazy Proverbs 10: 26. If you don’t want to cause grief to Almighty God that sent you on an errand to the world, do not be lazy.
Laziness ruins lives: Laziness is one of the weapons that Satan is using against mankind; it is potent enough that it can vandalize one’s life if you are not careful. The Scripture described people who are slothful in their work as a brother to him who is a great destroyer. It means laziness and destruction are inseparable because they are permanently linked together Proverbs 18: 9. If you don’t want to cause havoc in your life and ruin your future, do not exhibit laziness or slackness towards the work of the Lord.
How to Identify Lazy People
There are several traits that can help us to identify the lazy people and we shall discuss some of them in biblical context.
People who have job opportunities, but will not work: Unemployment is prevalent all over the world, however in certain countries lazy people will have employment opportunities, but they will never utilize it. Even when it is advertised that there are job openings in certain companies/institutions, lazy people will neither apply for the job nor search for other jobs but they prefer to beg for food or apply for welfare benefits. In Yoruba-land they call them “arise mase baba ole”. Meaning, “he who finds job but prefer not to work”. Lazy people will have excuses not to work, they will not plow because of the weather conditions; and invariably they shall beg for food because they will have nothing to eat Proverbs 20: 4. If you don’t seize any employment opportunity that comes your way, then it will be difficult for you to cater for your needs.
Lazy people desire to have, but lack: Lazy people always have strong desire but they always end up with little or nothing due to their inactivity. The appetites of the lazy people crave for good things of life but get nothing. In a nut shell, a lazy person will not get what he wants unless through deceit, while the soul of the diligent will be richly supplied and satisfied Proverbs 13: 4. Be among the hard-working people so that you will be satisfied with good things of life.
People who love excessive sleeping: Anybody who loves to sleep excessively is a lazy person; those people who don’t like to move out of bed are very lazy. The Bible stated that “as a door swings on its hinges, so does the lazy person turns over in bed” Proverbs 26: 14. Every human needs to sleep and rest in order to function properly but do it moderately. Do not love sleep so that it will not lead to laziness.
At this end time, it is only lazy people that sleep deeply. When this happens they will put their life and other people’s lives at risk. For instance if there is a fire outbreak, or any other disaster, it will be difficult if not impossible to wake them from their sleep and such lazy people may perish in the incident. Idle people are lazy because there are many productive things that can be done instead of idleness Proverbs 19: 15. Henceforth learn how to sleep lightly and do not be idle anymore so that you will neither be counted as a lazy person nor suffer hunger during your lifetime.
Lazy people think they are wiser: Because lazy people usually use other people through deceit and exploitation to achieve their aim or goal; they always think they are wiser than hard-working people. Most lazy people will say”I am smarter than everyone else”, let me tell them they are not smarter but shirker. It is written that “the lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly Proverbs 26: 16. The lazy people are not smart, but lazybones who dodge their duties or responsibilities.
Lazy people are filthy and untidy: A simple way to identify the lazy people is through the inspection of their homes because they will be dirty and messy. In exceptional cases, some hardworking peoples’ homes might be disorganized because they are overwhelmed, but majority of their homes are clean and organized.
In some cases when you get to the offices of lazy people you will notice that it is untidy and everything will be muddled up. Even the appearance of lazy people will not be neat or be in order; instead they will look scruffy, disheveled and unkempt Proverbs 24: 30-31. If you want to prove to the world that you are not among the lazybones and you have common sense then keep your home, your office and your appearance clean and organized.
Lazy
people will raise false alarm: Anyone who raises false alarm so that he will not
work is a lazy person. It is prevalent among the lazy people to “cry wolf” in
order to avoid working and discourage others from working Proverbs
Week 44:
Topic: Laziness and Idleness – Part 3
Bible
This study
will continue with focus on the ways to conquer laziness.
How to Overcome Laziness
Some of the ways to overcome laziness and idleness are stated below:
Abstain from oversleeping: As previously discussed, people who want to overcome laziness must not love sleeping or sleep deeply, but they must sleep modestly. Excessive sleeping is a type of sleeping disorder medically called hypersomnia, and it is a medical case/situation that needs immediate attention.
God through His infinite wisdom knew the danger of oversleeping and He warned us in the Bible saying “give no unnecessary sleep to your eyes nor slumber to your eyelids” Proverbs 6: 4. I pray that you will not ruin your life through prolong sleep and napping.
Too
much of every carnal thing is bad. It is for this reason that the Scripture
confirmed that “the drunkards and gluttons are on their way to poverty, and too
much sleep clothes people in rags Proverbs
Pray against the spirit of stupor: Let your conduct be according to the teachings of the Bible and pray against the spirit of stupor (deep sleep) that Almighty God usually use to punish the disobedient people. Just as it is written that “God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day” Romans 11: 8, Isaiah 29: 10. It is your duty to pray against the spirit of apathy and dull mind so that you will not lose your spiritual gifts.
Be at alert: In order to eliminate laziness from your life you must be alert and take steps of faith for the Deliverance of your soul. Do not procrastinate because it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed Romans 13: 11. You have to do everything within your capability to save your life from laziness and your soul from destruction.
Be sober and watchful: Since the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ will be like a thief in the night and nobody knows the day that the Lord will visit him/her to answer their petitions/prayers. Then it is forbidden for us to fall asleep spiritually like other people in the world, but be on our guard. Therefore be sober and watchful for the return of our Lord 1 Thessalonians 5: 6. If one is over sleeping physically it is bad but when your sleep spiritually it is worse. So do not sleep spiritually but be sober and watchful in order to be counted worthy when Christ our Lord returns.
Do not be sluggish: People who are serious about overcoming their laziness must not be sluggish but agile, so that they will imitate those people who through their faith and patience inherit the promises of God Hebrews 6: 12. Follow the example of people who inherit the promises of God through their faith and perseverance. So that you will inherit the biblical promises of God and leave a good legacy for your descendants.
Serve the Lord passionately: The best way to discard laziness is to serve the Lord passionately without lagging in diligence and be fervent in spirit. If you want the assistance of the Lord to overcome laziness then you have to be zealous without negligence for the work of God, keep the fire of the spirit burning and use all your energy to serve the Lord Romans 12: 11. If you want the Lord to turn laziness to history in your life, serve the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Outcome of Laziness and Idleness
Some of the consequences of laziness and idleness shall be discussed.
Laziness ruin people’s lives: The desire of a lazy man will lead to his death because his hands refuse to work. The craving of the lazy person is fatal, for the lazy hands refuse to labour Proverbs 21: 25. I pray that laziness will not ruin your life and you will not die of hunger.
Laziness leads to poverty: Anyone who works with a slack hand and those who are idle at work will be poor, while the hand of the diligent will make them rich. I want people to acknowledge that it is laziness that brings poverty, lazy hands will make you poor and a lazy person will end up poor Proverbs 10: 4. No matter how long it takes, lazy people will certainly become poor unless they turn a new leaf.
Lazy
people will be subordinates: The lazy people will always serve their mates and
they will be subordinates to their peers because of laziness. The Bible stated
that “the hand of the diligent will rule but the lazy man will be put to forced
labour” Proverbs
Laziness is not profitable: There is profit in hard work, but idleness leads to penury. It means if you work you will earn a living, but if you sit around talking you will become poor. Therefore in all labour there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty Proverbs 14: 23. Work brings profit, hard work always pays off but more talk puts no bread on the table, instead it leads to penury.
Laziness will endanger your home: The home of any lazy person is at risk of decay, whereby morality, vigor, and their spiritual life will decline in quality. In addition, through idleness of hands their home will leak, which means they will lose precious and priceless gifts of the Lord Ecclesiastes 10: 18.
Beware of Idleness
Since laziness and idleness go hand in hand you have to beware so that you will not be idle. Get yourself busy at all times with fruitful/productive things that can improve your life and your relationship with your Creator.
Paul sounded the warning in his epistle to the Thessalonians that they should stay away from any brother/sister who is leading a life of idleness or walking in idleness and not in accordance with the tradition received from him 2 Thessalonians 3: 6. Brothers and sisters, keep away from all the so-called believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the doctrines of the Bible. Most especially, those who are slack in the performance of their duties, plus those who avoid, neglect or evade their responsibilities.
The Seal: Revelation 3: 19:
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous for the work of the Lord and repent.