2. One of the dangers of modern life is rearing children to be lazy. Living in the
suburbs, there are no cows to milk, wood to chop, and gardens to hoe; dishes
are done by a dishwasher, clothes are washed by a washer and dried by a
drier. Consequently, many young people are reared without good work habits.
They are taught to waste their time watching TV, listening to records, and
going to recreational outings. Anytime some are told to do something, a howl
of protest is registered.
Many who have been reared without good work habits have become adults
with no ambition, willing to live on welfare. Others hold jobs but have an
attitude of "the company owes me a living." Corporate production is low and
the cost of goods increases.
3. Laziness Is A Sin
•God condemns laziness as a sin
•Matt. 25:25 “And I was afraid, and went and hid
thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that
is thine.”
•The book of Proverbs uses approximately thirty-three
verses to condemn laziness.
•Apparently, God saw laziness as a danger facing
young people.
4. Things Which Keep People From
Working
• Too much sleep
• Prov 6:9-11 "How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt
thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a
little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as
one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man“”
• Prov. 26:14; cf. 19:15; 20:13 "As the door turneth upon his
hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed"
• Some young people are allowed to sleep late in the morning, drag
themselves to the TV, and lay around all day long.
• When night comes, they are ready to party.
5. Too much talking
• Prov. 14:23
• The wise man called attention to the tendency of wasting
one's time talking when he wrote, "In all labor there is
profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury"
(extreme poverty)
• When some are left with a job to do, they do not get the job
done because they have wasted their time talking, whether
on the phone or person to person.
6. No motivation.
•Some have no motivation to work; they have no
ambition(cf. Prov. 19:24; 26:15). Why should some be
motivated?
•Their parents buy them any and everything they want.
They have never learned to earn anything. Hence, they
learn to wait for someone to hand it to them on a silver
platter.
7. Procrastination.
• "Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow" is the motto of lazy
people.
• The Traits of A Lazy Person
• He is full of excuses
• Prov 26:16 “The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men
that can render a reason"
• For every reason that you can give him to do a job, he can give you two
for not doing it. He may say, "It is too cold (or hot) to work" although
everyone else is working in the same weather.
• He will decline working for fear of being hurt (cf. Prov. 22:13; 26:13),
although the chances of him being injured are remote.
8. • He wastes what he has.
• Prov 12:27 "The slothful man roasteth not that which he
took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is
precious“
• The lazy man will not even take care of what he has.
• His laziness will allow even what he has to deteriorate.
• Prov. 24:30 "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the
vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was
all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the
face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down“
• Prov 18:9 "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to
him that is a great waster"
9. The Natural Fruits Of Laziness
• Laziness brings poverty
• Prov. 10:4-5 "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand:
but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in
summer is a wise son: but he that sleepth in harvest is a son that
causeth shame"
• Prov. 13:4 "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing"
• Laziness puts one under tribute
• Prov.12:24 "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the
slothful shall be under tribute“ (forced labor)
• Those who work hard prosper and move into positions of
authority; those who are lazy become poor and move into
positions of subordination.
10. • Laziness leads to unfulfilled desires
•Prov. 21:24-25 "The desire of the slothful killeth him;
for his hands refuse to labour. He coveteth greedily
all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth
not"
•Just because a man is lazy and poor does not mean
that he doesn't want anything; it simply means that
he cannot buy what he wants.
•Consequently, he is dissatisfied because of his
unfulfilled desires. It has been said, "Lazy folks'
stomachs never get tired."
11. The Consequences of Laziness
• Shame.
• Prov. 10:5 "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that
sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame"
• Who can be proud of a lazy son?
• Obnoxious to others.
• Prov. 10:26 "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is
the sluggard to them that send him"
• A man who hires an employee who is lazy will find him to be
obnoxious and soon will fire him.
• Gossip.
• 1 Tim. 5:13 Those who have nothing to do tend to waste their time
talking about things they shouldn't
12. The Virtues Of Diligence
• In contrast to being lazy, the wise man instructed men to be diligent
in their work. Here are some of the things said about the diligent
worker:
• His is self-disciplined
• Prov. 6:6-8 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and
be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her
meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest"
• The ant works without a boss watching his every move. So does a
diligent man.
• His desires motivate him
• Prov. 16:26 "He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his
mouth craveth it of him"
• He sees something that he wants, so he works in order to obtain it
13. • He comes to prosperity
• Prov. 10:4 “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the
diligent maketh rich.”
• The natural fruit of hard work is prosperity
• The worker who produces is generally paid more, given more raises, and advanced
in position more often than the lazy worker.
• Has good mental health
• "Work brings its own relief; He who most idle is Has most of grief"
• Rather than looking at work as if it were a curse from God, we need to understand that
it was a part of God's original plan and will for man (cf. Gen. 2:15 - man was to dress
and keep the garden of Eden prior to the curse which sin brought). We are privileged to
have a job, to be able to earn a living, and to do something productive.
• One of the methods of punishing the criminal is to put him in a prison where he has
nothing to do day after day. This is punishment, not a bed of ease. To be able to work is
a blessing which God has given to us. We should consider ourselves fortunate that we
are not physically or mentally disabled to the point that we cannot have a job.
14. WE HAVE WORK TO DO
• Matthew 9:37
• “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but
the labourers are few”
• John 4:37
• “ one soweth and another reapeth”
• John 4:35
• “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?
behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for
they are white already to harvest.”
• Matthew 28:18-20
• Let’s be about the Fathers business, not be lazy.
