Don’t Be A Sluggard – Part 4

I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; Proverbs 24:30

It is better to be short-handed than to hire a sluggard; better to have nobody than a lazy body. Evidently Solomon had suffered through a few sluggards on his payroll: ‘As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man’ (Proverbs 10:26). You know how irritating vinegar is when it’s taken straight, or how aggravating smoke is when it gets in your eyes! That’s how irritating a lazy person is to the one who hires him. Whatever he does will take twice as long to finish, and will either have to be done over or thrown out – at twice the cost. His presence on the job is worse than his absence. He wastes his own resources and everybody else’s. A tragic picture is painted in Proverbs 24:30-31: ‘I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.’ Now let’s be clear here: we must show compassion towards those who are down and out for legitimate reasons. But they need more than a handout; they need a hand up! They need more than food and clothes; they need purpose, dignity, and self-worth. And that’s what God wants us to give them. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t great because he was born in a log cabin; he was great because he got out of it.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to have compassion and encouragement for those who need support and a hand up. In Jesus’ Name, Amen