THE
CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLIGENCE
BREAD
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and
gathers its food at harvest. 9 How
long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a
little folding of the hands to rest-- 11 and
poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs
6:6-11 (NIV)
4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the
diligent are fully satisfied. Proverbs
13:4 (NIV)
24 Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave
labor. Proverbs 12:24 (NIV)
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose
some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on
top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” 10 So
Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur
went to the top of the hill. 11 As
long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he
lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When
Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on
it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that
his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So
Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. 14 Then the LORD
said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make
sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of
Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses
built an altar and called it The LORD
is my Banner. 16 He said, “For
hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD.
The LORD will be at war against
the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:8-16 (NIV)
23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against
the LORD by failing to pray for
you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all
your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1
Samuel 12:23-24 (NIV)
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’
when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me
and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With
such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. 17 So he told her everything. “No razor
has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite set
apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me,
and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18 When Delilah saw
that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the
Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of
the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 Having put him to sleep on her lap,
she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to
subdue him. And his strength left him. 20 Then
she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and
thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know
that the LORD had left him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him,
gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze
shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. Judges
16:15-21 (NIV)
16 The
sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly. Proverbs
26:16 (NIV)
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry. Proverbs 19:15 (NIV)
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry. Proverbs 19:15 (NIV)
15 Do
your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not
need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2
Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle,
encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong
for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do
not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do
not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test
everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid
every kind of evil. 23 May God
himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole
spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is
faithful and he will do it. 1
Thessalonians 5:14-24 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The
worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if
they were accused of complete laziness. A little folding of the hands to rest
is all they desire, and they have a host of reasons to show that this
indulgence is entirely legitimate. Yet by these "littles" the day
runs out, and the time for work is all gone, and the field is overgrown with
thorns. It is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They do not
intend to delay for years—a few months, they say, will bring the more
convenient season—tomorrow they will attend to serious things; but the present
hour is so occupied and so unsuitable that they beg to be excused. Like sands from an hourglass, time passes;
life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers. Oh,
to be wise, to catch the fleeting hour, to use the passing moments! May the
Lord teach us this sacred wisdom, because otherwise a poverty of the worst kind
awaits us—eternal poverty that will want even a drop of water and beg for it in
vain. Like a robber steadily pursuing his victim, poverty overtakes the lazy,
and ruin overthrows the undecided: Each hour brings the dreaded pursuer nearer;
he doesn't pause on the way, for he is on his master's business and must not
delay. As an armed man enters with authority and power, in similar fashion want
will come to the idle, and death to the impenitent, and there will be no
escape. O that men would become wise and
would diligently seek the Lord Jesus, before the solemn day will dawn when it
will be too late to plow and to sow, too late to repent and believe. In
harvest, it is useless to lament that the seedtime was neglected. As of now,
there is still time for faith and holy decision.” C. H. Spurgeon
“Sleep is not our enemy. The psalmist writes, ‘It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep’ (Psalms 127:2). The sluggard’s rest is in vain, but so is the workaholic’s labor. Righteous rest is an ambassador of heaven. Whenever it goes wrong, we have been the spoiler. When it comes to the bread of anxious toil, we should all live gluten-free and freely sleep.” Marshall Segal
“No matter what you do, don’t ignore an open door of opportunity. Don’t let procrastination or indifference steal your time. Instead, seek God’s strength as you step forward. When you embrace your God-given opportunities in obedience, you will see God’s glory in your life and in the lives of others.” Michael Youssef
“Pride is the devil’s
dragnet in which he takes more fish than in any other, except procrastination.” Charles
H. Spurgeon
“If we cultivate laziness, we reap immaturity. Even the sweetest gifts God gives — the pleasures of life — can be poisoned for us. Therefore, we nurture and enjoy whatever brings us more of God and uproot whatever dulls our love for him.” Marshall Segal
“Change your habits, change your life. We only have one life to live – don’t waste it.” BHY
HEART SAVOR
·
Being a
sluggard gets us nowhere fast.
·
Never be in a
hurry rather focused.
·
Never tire of
doing the right thing.
