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August 10 - August 24, 2024
‘Evil company corrupts good habits’
But the implication is that he was probably forced to do it. Once the overseer’s whip is removed, the sluggard reverts to his natural ways, too indolent even to roast his own food.
The wise man knows diligence is a precious treasure that a person should strive to attain.
The sluggard desires wealth as much as anyone—he just doesn’t want to work for it. His conflicting desires will destroy him.
The diligent worker makes a concerted effort at every step of a project, striving to do his best and produce quality work.
So strongly does the wicked person seek to do evil that he will not spare his neighbor if he gets in his way.
It offends the Creator when a person neglects the poor, who are part of His creation.
The diligent, by contrast, work with a long-term perspective.
The sluggard often has expensive tastes, and he covets the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
The wise person is not focused on such temporal riches and luxuries but on eternal treasure.
The lazy man expends a great deal of energy finding excuses to avoid working. His problem is that he is wise in his own eyes.
The authors of Proverbs frequently make fun of the sluggard by using humor to underscore the extent to which a lazy person will go to avoid work—even to the point of inventing ludicrous excuses.
One can picture him swinging from side to side, as securely attached to his bed as a door is to its frame.
The sluggard is often made weaker by wealth.
Yet even in this good fortune, he is too lazy to feed himself what he has.
“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him”
Paul takes a strong stand against the sin of sloth, warning that those who don’t work shouldn’t eat. He calls Christians to hold one another accountable.
Much of the letter concerns the return of Christ, and it is possible some believers were using hope for the rapture as an excuse to avoid work.
if you want to eat, you’ll have to work.
Christians are commanded to share their blessings with others, but those who receive are also commanded to be diligent in whatever work the Lord has made available to them.
The Greek word translated disorderly was used to describe soldiers who had stepped out of rank in marching formation.
The sluggard has too much time on his hands, and he fills it with destructive pursuits.
It is an interesting paradox that when the sluggard does find work to do, he generally makes a big show of being busy.
Paul commanded the Thessalonians not to live on handouts and charity but to meet their own basic needs.
be diligent in doing good.
Paul did not intend this withdrawal of companionship to be a punishment but an admonishment.
Admonish literally means “to advise toward,” or in other words, to counsel, warn, or remind a person of his duties.
Christians should work for a living.
He also tends to enjoy the finer things in life, appreciating luxury and fine dining—preferably at someone else’s expense.
The satisfaction that comes from working hard is one of the gifts of grace that God gives men.
The love of money is a sin.
Consequently, the sluggard is easily susceptible to the sin of loving money.
This principle also applies to the daily work that the Lord has provided for each of us. A job is a gift from the Lord, and it is also a ministry that He expects us to perform to the best of our abilities—working as unto Him, not our earthly masters
Laziness leads to personal destruction.
The sluggard has an excessive love for rest and relaxation.
The person who sleeps or plays when he should be working will be overtaken by poverty, and it will come on him unexpectedly and irresistibly like an armed robber.
The answer to this question is Jesus Christ—it is He who delivers us from the body of sin and from the eternal destruction that would otherwise be our fate.
something happened along the way that caused him to stop persevering in wisdom.
The truth is that wisdom is not a one-time acquisition but a daily commitment to walk according to the Word of God.
Finishing strong requires daily application of God’s Word to our lives.
Wisdom calls aloud in the public square, suggesting that knowledge of God and wisdom to live according to His principles are readily available to anyone who seeks them.
To turn is to repent.
It is to recognize one is heading in the wrong direction and rotate 180 degrees to go the opposite way.
writers of Proverbs place great importance on the ability ...
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Wisdom grows through practical application as we obey God.
Wisdom is the one who always takes the initiative, reaching out to those who need her.
It is God who makes the overtures to humanity, offering us salvation and wisdom as free gifts—but it is up to us to accept those gifts.
Wisdom warns her hearers there are dire consequences for ignoring her free offer.
His willingness to accept correction enabled him to finish his life well and be called a man after God’s own heart
people reject those warnings and spend their lives taking good things from God without thanks—all the while speaking wickedly of Him and refusing to submit to His authority.
