Scripture:
“One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a lout; They were overgrown with weeds, thick with thistles, all the fences broken down. I took a long look and pondered what I saw; the fields preached me a sermon and I listened: ‘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, with poverty as your permanent houseguest’.” Proverbs 24:30-34
Perspective:
If you drove by a house with overgrown weeds, fences broken down, and trash in the yard, you would think that the owners were lazy or had a severe extenuating circumstance. Most people have a nice yard, but, even then, we don’t usually stop and notice it. However, when someone’s yard is exceptional, we stop and notice the manicured lawn, shrubs, and flowers. You might even take a picture and go tell people about it.
There is a stark contrast between laziness and diligence. Diligence is not simply “not being lazy.” In referencing the people with the nice yard, they would qualify as “not being lazy.” However, diligence encompasses a precision and persistence at its core. Laziness and diligence apply to more than just lawns. It applies to your work ethic, your drive, and your overall life mission. Are you being diligent with the tasks God has entrusted to you? Are you attracting people to be on your team because your life is characterized by diligence? You don’t give up when life gets hard. You keep trusting God even though you don’t know the answers. You move forward toward the life God has called you to. You work diligently in your job, your ministry, your family, and to reach people for the kingdom of God. I guess you have an option to lazily serve the Lord. But who wants to live in a house surrounded by weeds?
