You
Struggle With Laziness
Proverbs 6:6-11
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 10:4-5
4 Lazy hands make a
man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
5 He who gathers
crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a
disgraceful son.
Ephesians 5:15-16
15Be very careful,
then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because
the days are evil.
Philippians 2:12-13
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have
always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue
to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to
act according to his good purpose.
1 Thessalonians
4:1-12 - Living to Please God
1Finally, brothers, we instructed
you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask
you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by
the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3It is God's will that you should
be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own
body] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do
not know God; 6and that in
this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord
will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be
impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore,
he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his
Holy Spirit.
9Now about brotherly love we do
not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love
each other. 10And in fact,
you do love all the brothers throughout
11Make it your ambition to lead a
quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we
told you, 12so that your
daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be
dependent on anybody.
6In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle
and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you
ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone's food
without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and
toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9We did this, not because we do not have the
right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we were with you,
we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
11We hear that some among you are
idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12Such people we command and urge in the Lord
Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing
what is right.
14If anyone does not obey our
instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with
him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15Yet
do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.