A word fitly spoken is like APPLES OF GOLD in a setting of silver [Proverbs 25v11]
I trust our meditations on wisdom over the past few weeks has stimulated the further study of the Book of Proverbs. Today we conclude our studies on WISDOM by looking at Proverbs chapter 24v30: “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”.
The Bible is very insightful and practical and these verses emphasise that a sluggard or lazy man has no sense or wisdom. He has allowed his inheritance to fall into ruin because he has no passion or desire to use the farm productively. He is not guilty of a wild and hedonistic lifestyle – he is just bone idle and all he wants is a life of ease with no responsibility. Inevitably weeds and thorns have choked the vines and what was left had been destroyed by the wild animals who were able to get in because the walls were broken and so there was no harvest. This man had been blessed with the vineyard to provide not just food and drink for himself, but a surplus for the surrounding community. We have all been given gifts or talents by God and we are expected to work hard and be fruitful in their use unlike the wicked servant in the parable in Matthew chapter 25 who hid his talent in the ground and gave it back unused. Friends, let us be busy in the service of the Lord by using what gifts or talents He has given us. Not many of us will be preachers or teachers, but maybe your gift is church administration or a helper who visits the sick or an encourager or a healer to the broken hearted. Maybe your talent is sacrificial hospitality or financial generosity or musical talent to praise the Lord. Maybe you are a prayer warrior who intercedes on behalf of others. The list is endless, but the one thing they all have in common is that if we are lazy not only do we become impoverished materially and spiritually, but we deny others blessing who rely on our performance for their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. In conclusion let us take note of Ecclesiastes 9v10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might;” and 2 Thessalonians 3v13: “Do not grow weary of doing good”.
God Bless
Graeme Greenwood