Text- Proverbs 6: 10-11 – “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest: So shall thy poverty come as one that travels, and thy want as an armed man”
From today’s text, we are clearly instructed that when it comes to the issue of laziness, even a little is way too much. Again we see that where laziness is embraced, no matter how little, a life of poverty and want is guaranteed.
See how The Message Bible renders the text:
“So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!”
Dearly beloved, God has ordained you to be great, but His divine ordination does not excuse you from being hardworking, diligent and industrious. Quickly, let’s take a look at the three signs of laziness mentioned in our text:
1. A Little ‘Extra’ Sleep
Truly, sleep is good and quality sleep is crucial for good health, but danger looms when a person begins to indulge in ‘extra’ sleep. We are admonished in Proverbs 20:13, “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you shall be satisfied with bread.”
In essence, it is good to rest well, but when you get into the habit of always sleeping and not working; or when you get into the habit of sleeping while you should be working, that is laziness, and poverty is the result!
Proverbs 19:15 says, “Laziness induces deep sleep, and a lazy person shall suffer hunger (… poverty, failure, setback and the likes). Too much sleep wastes precious time, and when time is consistently wasted, success is driven away.
2. A Little ‘More’ Slumber
This talks about indulgence in pleasure and leisure. The danger here is best illustrated by the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). His love for pleasure made him to waste precious resources, which in turn left him broke and broken; ‘poverty pounced on him like a bandit; scarcity attacked him like an armed robber’ (Proverbs 6:11 NLT).
3. A Little Folding of the Hands
I know there are times you have thought about how nice it would be if you had no work to do, or books to study. You may even have fantasized about becoming so rich that you do not have to work for a living.
Contrary to what you may think, there is no real happiness in idleness and inactivity; it drains energy and makes a man unhealthy, discontented, and miserable. Idleness ruins people’s lives by swallowing up their virtues and burying what could have been for them a great life and a bright future.
Proverbs 16:27 says, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”. If you don’t find productive things to keep your mind and hands busy, your life would become like a stagnant pool that yields all kinds of impurities, malady and filthiness.
I want you to pause after each hour today, and ask yourself “what have I done in the past one hour?” It may surprise you to find out that you have been folding your hands way too much!
PRAYER
Father, I repent and deliberately turn from laziness today. Please root out every trace of laziness from my life in Jesus Name. Help me Lord, to find the balance between work and leisure, and help me each moment to find constructive things to keep my hand and mind productively busy.
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