Life Gets Messy When We Are Lazy

“Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.” Ecclesiastes 10:18

“Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.” Ecclesiastes 10:18

Most of us work for a living, but even then, we can be lazy about things that really matter. We can even be industrious and overlook things of importance. Even in “retirement” I am working. Sometimes it is building a garden path for my wife, sometimes it is preparing to preach when our lead pastor is on vacation, and sometimes it is managing our investment portfolio.

But sometimes I am lazy about things that really matter. I get lazy about doing preventative maintenance and that can create an expensive problem. Even worse, I neglect the things of eternity and miss opportunities to help someone, to encourage a discouraged friend, or to store up some real treasure in heaven. Preparing to preach, and practicing what I preach can be two different things.

Jesus said the cure for storing treasure was to have your heart in the right place. If your heart is on self and temporary pleasure offered by the world, then your treasure is temporary. Laying up treasure in heaven is not the task of the indolent, lazy follower of Jesus. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

If your heart has the right focus, then you won’t be lazy about the things of eternity. We need to take this warning to heart: “Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.” Ecclesiastes 10:18

How to Identify a Follower of Jesus

A follower of Jesus is constantly about the Father’s business. That includes caring for those who are needy in tangible ways that aren’t always obvious to anyone but the Father.

Matthew 6:1-3 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,”

Five Minute Friday

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up.

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.