““But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.” Matthew 25:26
REFERENCE
The bible is full of scathing comments about the lazy man and laziness. Often, many blame their poverty on unemployment, the economy, or the government’s ineptitude. As true as these may be, Scripture often puts the blame on a person’s laziness. Solomon said, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep – so shall your poverty come…” Proverbs 6:10-11
Nothing justifies laziness; you can’t sit idle and say, “I lost my job, so I sit at home,” “Nobody has yet employed me,” “I don’t want to work for anyone, I am planning to go it alone,” or “The salary they are offering is too small.” NO! Such an attitude offends God. The Master refers to the lazy servant in our text as wicked and unprofitable; he eventually lost the little he had. Laziness is the spirit of poverty in disguise and in installments (Proverbs 10:4). You must treat it as an enemy. The bible says laziness will clothe a man with rags; you cannot be a couch potato and expect to have a successful life. He who does not work has no right to eat.
Success is not a product of chance; it is a product of the choice to work. “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Therefore, brace up and start doing something. Your choices may be slim and few, but start from something and from somewhere. “Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant, than he who (boastfully) honors himself (pretending to be what he is not) and lacks bread” (Proverbs 12:9).
Work now with the strength of your youth and with the time you have because you don’t have all the time. Whatever your hands find to do, do it and watch God increase you from there. Whatever happened to the culture of providing non-paying volunteer services? Go and serve or work somewhere, even without pay and it will be the beginning of your rising in life. Remember, God is the ultimate Paymaster. Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in ‘overalls’ (work clothes) and looks like work.” ~ Thomas Edison.
It is a beautiful sight to see a hardworking person. We all love to have one as our staff, student, lawyer, engineer, business partner/associate, cleaner, tailor, even as our Pastor. Why? Because where there is work, there will be productivity and progress; there will be creativity and innovation. Commit to work hard at whatever you do. The working man is a happy man but the idle man is miserable…laziness will rob him of all he has, his potential and dreams.
ADDITIONAL READING
Proverbs 21:25, I Timothy 5:8 & Proverbs 14:23
PRAYER
+ Strengthen my hands and mind to work efficiently and effectively at whatever you have committed into my hands.
+ Lord, I ask you to cause all my labor and work to translate into progress and prosperity in Jesus’ name.
Amen 🙏🏾
Amen