- An apt message for our hearts
READ: Zechariah 1-2;
Proverbs 24; Revelation 14
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 24: 32 I applied my heart to
what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
OBSERVATION: Unlike the previous
generations, human life becomes easy due to available technologies and new
tools that simplify our work. We can do many things/works without even moving
from one place. However, it has a flip side that invites many problems to us. A
sedentary or inactive lifestyle is becoming a global issue that causes many
health issues today. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) estimate,
a sedentary lifestyle is “the fourth largest global killer” in the world today.
Many current Statistics give us a warning that this should not be continued. Here,
in Pro.24:32-34, Solomon tells us what he observed and learned when he saw the poor
condition of the field of a sluggard.
Scholars suggest that all our body senses should be open to
learning new and useful things. The author just saw a lazy person's vineyard
that has no proper maintenance and is full of weeds and thorns. Then, he
analyses how it may have happened and shows us a picture of a typical lazy
person who refuses to leave his bed or to do anything by saying excuses.
Proverbs 24:32-34 literally repeats the same that we read in Pro.6:10-11.
Interestingly, none wants to be a sluggard, but all laziness starts from
postponing and procrastinating things to another time. A lazy person wants to
do everything without getting down from bed (Pro.6:9, 26:14). The author of
proverbs says that poverty and scarcity would be the reward for laziness. In
other words, a sluggard will earn nothing by his laziness but will receive harmful
consequences. But those who work hard will have abundance (Pro. 12:11). Proverbs
6:6 indicates that a lazy person can learn from even an ant and needs to be
active and wise like them. If we neglect to give proper care to our spiritual and
physical needs, we will find no fruits in them. We should be like the prudent
son “who gathers crops in summer.” Like a plant needs continual care, our
spiritual life requires our attention to be strong in the Lord and grow in him.
Our physical and spiritual freshness
reflect in our daily activities. We should not neglect God, his word, and the
Holy Spirit. If we want to bear fruits, we must remain in Christ. He prunes to
bear more fruits for the glory of God. We should not neglect our relationship
with God and spiritual life.
APPLICATION: I should not be a
lazy person in my life. I must give proper care to my body and spiritual life.
I should be careful to keep my spiritual and physical life active and
refreshing. I should not neglect my responsibility in taking care of my
physical and spiritual life. I will keep my relationship with the Lord Jesus
intact and intimate by reading the Bible, praying regularly, remaining in him,
and living like him.
PRAYER: Father God, help
me be an active Christian, to practice what I believe about you. Realizing our
life is short, and Jesus’s coming is near, I pray for all people to be saved. Holy
Spirit, help me be faithful and be an active Christian always. Amen
- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573
Day – 357
(Tamil version
of this devotion is posted here)
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