Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek

9 June 2024

Reading From Proverbs 22-24

“I went past the field of a sluggard,
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.”

–Proverbs 24:30-34

     When God created the heavens and the Earth, He did His creative work in six days and rested on the seventh.  Yahweh rested not because He was tired, but to set a healthy pattern for mankind of a balanced way of life.  Notice that it wasn’t six days of rest and one day of work.  Our God champions a strong work ethic but also knows that a day of relaxation and worship and more than that festivals of celebration bring refreshment and restoration to the human spirit.  It is refreshing to have a day of rest, but this is very different from making a lifestyle of laziness. 

     Folks who get offended from teachings about the value of hard work or wise financial stewardship are the people who need to receive correction from God.  They are offended because sometimes the truth hurts.  While we must make every effort to present balanced interpretations of the Word of God, we must also ask the Lord to soften our hearts and make us teachable even when that means accepting correction.  A disciplined, prosperous life comes with intentionality while the way of a sluggard is behavior that gradually descends into squalor a little at a time.  “I’ll get to that tomorrow.” Only tomorrow never comes.

“God, I pray that I will be more disciplined in daily life.  Give me the courage and strength to develop healthy habits that will lead to greater peace, balance and stability for me and my family.  Amen.”

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,
    but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. –Proverbs 13:4

Lazy hands make for poverty,
    but diligent hands bring wealth. –Proverbs 10:4

One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys. –Proverbs 18:9

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. –Colossians 3:23-24

In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” –John 5:17

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” –II Thessalonians 3:10