March 13, 2012 | Leave a comment Today, Tuesday March 13, 2012, is the eighteenth day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” laziness and “put on” diligence. Many of us, as children, were scolded by our parents with the admonition to not “be lazy.” The Bible makes similar admonitions. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him. Proverbs 10:26 (NASB) Sending someone who is lazy to do something for you is irritating. Yet, if you think about it, much of our American economy is built on our desire to do less and have more time for leisure. Our technologically advanced society has been so successful in giving us this extra leisure that today we have an epidemic of obesity in America. Our desire to make it more easy and efficient to do calculations led us to so fully embrace the use of calculators that today some of our children are not capable of adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing. We would all do well to realize that laziness or a lack of diligence has a definite downside. 15 Laziness casts into a deep sleep, And an idle man will suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:15 (NAS) Today I need to “put off” laziness and “put on” diligence. According to the Bible diligence has its own reward. 27 A lazy man does not roast his prey, But the precious possession of a man is diligence. Proverbs 12:27 (NASB) To make certain that we don’t miss the important lesson concerning laziness and diligence the writer of Proverbs gives us a wonderful object lesson. 6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? 10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Proverbs 6:6–11 (NLT) There’s an important lesson which each of us can learn from the ant. Sheer diligence provides ants with all they need to survive winter. Unfortunately our desire to do less, which serves as an important catalyst for our advances in technology, when left unchecked can have negative consequences. This proverb compares this risk which our own laziness places in our lives to that of a bandit attacking us. The apostle Paul also warns the church at Thessalonica of the danger of being lazy. 14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NLT) The greatest laziness in America today is not expressed in our desire to do fewer household chores, or to increase our leisure time, however. Our greatest laziness is found instead in the lack of diligence we take in caring for our own souls, and those of our children. 9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children— Deuteronomy 4:9 (ESV) All too often adults trust the care of their own souls, the reading of Scripture, and seeking God’s will in prayer to their pastors, TV evangelists, or other spiritual leaders. As a result biblical illiteracy increases exponentially in our society. Parents are also guilty of leaving the responsibility for the teaching of biblical truth to their children to others. This lack of diligence, or laziness, with regard to our own souls and those of our children has led us to a society that increasingly chooses not to go to church each Sunday and seldom reads their Bible. How do I know this? The latest research which is available to me reveals that in the county where I live 82% of the population chooses not to attend church on any given Sunday. As you and I prepare for Easter let us “put off” laziness and “put on” diligence, especially diligence with regard to caring for our own soul, and the souls of our children.