Quotation
“While swimming, it is just me,
my mind, and the Holy Spirit rhythmically gliding through the serene water of
life. With each stroke, I imagine the angels in Heaven appearing in the air
bubbles caused by my hand entering the water, as the bubbles rise, quickly to
the surface; I imagine Jesus at the transfiguration, as the light shimmers, and
dances, moving through the depths of the pool; I sense being held in the arms
of God, as I glide gracefully though the water of life!”
Barry Denzil Haney
Verse
Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
Consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest. How
long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a
little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: So
shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, And thy want as an armed man.
Proverbs 6:6-11
Reflection
The
definition of a sluggard is a lazy person – lazybones. The word lazybones is an
informal expression dating back to the sixteenth syndrome. A modern day synonym
would be a couch potato.
Laziness can be thought of as a general lack of motivation. This is especially
true for necessary tasks the lazy person feels are not intrinsically pleasant.
The lazy person lacks desire and refuses to work. This is in contrast to the
procrastinator who desires to work but delays completion.
The
end result of being a lazybones is physical inactivity. Studies have shown
physical inactivity can lead to a number of health conditions including
cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, increased risk of certain cancers, and
increased risk of falls in older patients, anxiety, and depression.
God
created us to move. God did not design our bodies to be a couch potato.
The term couch potato was first
used by a 1970’s comics artist Robert Armstrong who drew lazy, sedentary
characters called couch potatoes.
Today, we think of a couch potato as someone who vegetates in front of his TV
and eats junk food. Although a humorous picture, the impact to millions of
people who live this lifestyle in today’s world, is very serious leading to
poor health and obesity.
The
average American watches more than four hours of TV each day and in a sixty
five year life that person will have spent nine years glued to the TV (Herr)
Over the past decade, the
advent of non-TV things to do (social media sites, smartphones, Netflix, etc.)
has only cut an hour per day from the amount of TV an average household watches
(Madrigal).
What
does God think about laziness?
Laziness
is a temptation for all people. God considers laziness a sin. Paul warns us of
the dangers of laziness in Ephesians 5:15-17:
See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time,
because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what
the will of the Lord is.
When
we begin to have a relationship with Jesus, we no longer have a propensity for
laziness. We now have a desire to live godly lives. The Bible says we should be
like ants and work hard. When we know Jesus God expects us to work as hard as ants when
doing our part in God’s grand plan of salvation. So, get off the couch and
spread the good news of the Gospel!
Illustration
A
farmer was sitting on the porch of his house when a stranger came by and asked,
“How’s things?”
“Tolerable,”
came the reply. He continued, “Two weeks ago a tornado came along and knocked
down all the trees I would have had to chop down for this winter’s firewood.
Then last week lightning struck the brush I had planned to burn to clear the
fields for planting.”
The
stranger responded, “That’s remarkable, what are you doing now?”
The
farmer answered, “Waiting for an earthquake to come along and shake the taters
out of the ground. (Green)
Prayer
Our Heavenly Father,
Thank you for creating me with
a body that
wants to move! Help me to focus
each day
to be all you created me to be
so I can accomplish
everything you would have me do!
Forgive me when I fall for
Satan’s temptation
too become a couch potato,
wasting the precious
time you gave me to further
Your Kingdom.
Help me focus on Jesus, to
become more Christ-like
each day. Help me be a beacon
of light for the unsaved!
In the precious name of Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior,
Amen!
Worship
Lazy Bones by Sovereign Grace
Music
God Bless You,
Barry
Herr, Norman. Television and
Health. Accessed April 28, 2021. http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html.
Madrigal, Alexis C. “When Did
TV Watching Peak?” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, May 30, 2018. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/05/when-did-tv-watching-peak/561464/.
Green, Michael P. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 2000. Print.
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