Bum Equipment
Read Proverbs 26:1-28
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10. An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.
11. As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
12. There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.
13. The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
14. As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
15. Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
16. Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
17. Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears. Proverbs 26:10-17
Lazy people never seem to begin their responsibilities. Those they do start they never seem to finish. They let things wait until the last minute. They would rather listen to the radio or watch television than do their job. You know the type—maybe you’ve had to pick up the resulting slack.
Read through Proverbs 26 and look for verses on laziness. See what areas of your life could benefit from a hardworking perspective.
Two other major themes deserve attention:
(1) fools (what they’re like and what they deserve)
(2) gossip (its power and its harmfulness).
The person who doesn’t want to work can find an excuse for avoiding every form of physical exertion (Proverbs 26:13-16). But laziness does more than just leave work undone. The less you do, the less you want to do—and the worse the cycle becomes. Unless you live and work entirely alone, others will have to do the work that you neglect.
If you struggle with the temptation to be lazy in any area of your life, apply these three steps:
(1) Identify the responsibilities that you avoid and always do them first.
(2) Identify the leisure pursuits that you overpursue and do them last.
(3) Each time you feel the temptation to be lazy, take one small step toward doing what you need to do. Then take another.
If temptations to laziness plague you constantly, set simple, realistic goals for yourself. Figure out the steps needed to reach each goal and follow those steps one at a time. All along the way, ask God for strength and persistence.
