When reading 1 Thessalonians 5, I noticed something that I haven’t seen before (probably because I am reading in a new version):
“Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those you are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.” (5.14)
In our culture, many young men and women wear their laziness as a badge. Maybe technology facilitates this. So much is available to us without having to get up from the computer or our phones. And so we just sit passively while life goes on around us. we know we are lazy, but it doesn’t bother us. Sometimes we even brag about it.
Apparently, laziness is nothing new. And yet, Paul tells the believers that they must “warn” those who are lazy. This means that they are in danger of something. Laziness, you see, is lethal.
The book of Proverbs has all kinds of warnings for fools. But it reserves its harshest language for the lazy, for sluggards.
Laziness is an offense to the God who has given you life, breath, a healthy body, and free time to use for his glory. It is a choice to do nothing when you have been commanded to do something. It is a choice to be passive when you have been commanded to take action.
So if you exult in your laziness, be warned. Even if you are ashamed of it, it is not enough merely to be ashamed. Turn from the sin of laziness, before it destroys you.
Lord, so often I am lazy and passive. Let me take warning and become a person who takes action for you and your kingdom. Amen.
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