I sat down last night and just asked God to tell me where to read. Proverbs is where I felt led and went to Proverbs 24. A few sayings jumped off the page at me, the first two were, Proverbs 24:13-14 which tells us that wisdom is like honey to our soul. Then Proverbs 24:21-22 tells us to keep good company. But then verses 30-34 really stood out. "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." A little cause and effect if you will and a very serious effect at that. The cause is laziness as you can see you term "sluggard", which is a term for a habitually lazy person. The effect is the vineyard has become overgrown with thorns, and we know what thorn can do. Matthew 13:7, Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
This reference is so prevalent in our lives today and not just our spiritual lives. You see it everyday, but probably don't even think about it. It happens at work, at home, in our physical conditioning, and to our favorite sports teams. We get comfortable and get lazy. Once we get in a groove and things seem to be going smoothly, we put it on cruise control. And what happens when we put the car on cruise, we sit back and lose focus because the car is doing most of the work and all you have to do is keep it between the lines. At work, we are getting by, doing what needs to be done and nothing more. The next thing you know it you're being wrote up or replaced. Another prime example is the 2004 New York Yankees losing to the Boston Red Sox after being up 3 games to none. No team has ever come back from 3 down. The Yankees got comfortable and got beat.
You don't want to get comfortable in any of these situations, but more importantly we don't want to get lazy in our walk with the Lord. Every day we need to find a way to challenge ourselves and grow in our faith. Notice I said "grow", not stay the same. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us to, "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." You may be saying, how do I do this? Most importantly we need to be in the Word, deeply in the Word. Don't just skim through and mark it off the to-do-list. Really seek God, seek to know Him more. Another recommendation is to diversify yourself. Listen to good, Bible preaching pastors online or Podcast. Some examples, Matt Chandler, Todd Phillips, Lon Solomon, John Piper, just to name a few. Read books about God, not just self help books. Get involved in your community or share the Gospel with someone. Finally, get involved with a small group. It is vital to have a group of people that you can talk to and can challenge each other. Being in Biblical community is extremely important and should not be underestimated.
In summary, stay focused on advancing the Gospel. Stay sharp in your faith.
