Laziness Produces Poverty
Laziness produces poverty.
The sentence feels bold to say. Perhaps, you might flinch… it feels calloused?
Don’t blame the messenger– the Bible points to poverty as the product of laziness clearly and repeatedly. Just survey a few selections from Proverbs:
Proverbs 10:4 - "Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth."
Proverbs 12:11 - "Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense."
Proverbs 12:24 - "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor."
Proverbs 12:27 - "The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt."
Proverbs 14:23 - "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."
Proverbs 19:15 - "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry."
Proverbs 24:30-34 - "I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man."
We will think about the Lord’s Words to the sluggard more on Sunday.
At the moment, I’m interested in thinking together about how we disciple our children, young believers, and (in general) each other.
We are qualifying ourselves to death.
People cannot build their lives on exceptions; they need clear instruction. We need to embrace the gift of general guidance in wisdom.
Your children (and mine) need to know that laziness is a path to poverty. We should celebrate that hard work is a path out of poverty.
Will they grow, in time, to understand Job and Ecclesiastes and the other ways that Scripture fills the picture of our work and our broken world? Of course! In fact, they must if they will persevere.
But our culture, and many Christians, seem intent on discipling with a focus on the exceptions rather than the foundations.
The current climate seems relentlessly intent on dealing in special circumstances. The demonic ploy in it all is that we often hesitate to clearly describe “normal.”
We all can anticipate how a statement like, “Laziness produces poverty” could instigate online conflict or tarnish our reputation as “cold-hearted.”
That’s exactly why I chose a statement like this–which is so soundly backed by Scripture– to press on this idea.
Growing in wisdom will mean seeing the whole counsel of God and the skill it takes to apply the fear of the Lord to various situations.
But we must not short circuit the growth our children or young Christians by being unwilling to give clear guidance about God’s world.
God built the world in wisdom. He wants us to work, build, live, and play in that world by His wisdom.
He mercifully provides guidance for the brokenness sin introduced and the complexity of wisdom in a fallen world.
Exhaustively describing every potential wrong turn and hoping others can figure out the path to wisdom on their own is a plan built to fail.
When laying foundations in the faith, we need to point out where to go with clear directions. We need to follow the clear words of Wisdom in Scripture.
Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."