Laziness is spoken against very harshly in the Bible. We all move at different speeds, and I am moving slower these days, so where is the line between resting and sloth?
Rest is a gift God gives us so we can recharge and continue the work He has for us. Rest is so important that He created the Sabbath. Laziness involves avoiding work ahead – procrastinating, looking for reasons to put it off, neglecting responsibilities.
Here are some reasons God's warning is so important.
Laziness in our spiritual life keeps us from growing in Him. Our spirit needs nourishing and a little neglect can become apparent quickly. A friend was selling a meticulously kept family ranch and as moving day drew near, many of the daily maintenance items were not prioritized. While these chores were dropped from necessity, not laziness, she didn’t realize how much work it took to keep it up until it wasn’t being done. In a matter of weeks the property had a less tidy appearance. The same is true for our spiritual lives. We can maintain and nurture our relationship with God, or let neglect and laziness cause it to languish.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Romans 12:11
Sloth in one area often bleeds into others. A lazy approach to my relationship with God may let a laziness towards my other relationships creep in. Sloth toward my work may affect my attitude towards my physical or mental discipline.
I may fail to fulfill my Godly calling to others if I am unmotivated to pursue His work. All relationships take an input of energy and if left unfueled, will eventually sputter and die.
We live in culture divided – those that need to move, move, move in order to earn success (even from God) and those that feel entitled to kind of check out and be given what they haven’t worked for. Neither of those is God’s plan. We are instructed to work hard at what God has given us to do. (Working hard can include listening intently, making space for others and creating a nurturing atmosphere. It is God and other focused and not self-focused). Yet He has also made clear the necessity, even the commandment, to rest.
We who follow Christ live in freedom because we aren’t earning our way. We should engage our work with joy, not burden, because it is a privilege to be Your worker. Stir me up, Lord, to be about Your work.
“At this moment I find myself ready to grow indolent & dull & inactive, but may God, for Christ’s sake & through His Spirit, stir me up & quicken me.” William Wilberforce
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