The poet Robert Frost didn’t avoid the topic of laziness. Frost said, “The world is full of willing people: some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.”[1] If you’ve ever played on a team, worked for an organization, or participated in a group effort of any kind, you’ve undoubtedly experienced what it’s like to work next to a slacker, or what the Bible refers to as a “sluggard.” You know the type—they show up late, do the bare minimum, complain about the workload, and leave early.
Over the last several years, it’s become common to joke about our work ethic. New phrases like “phone it in” refers to doing a task with little or no enthusiasm and originated with the idea of someone who isn’t willing to show up when expected. It might seem harmless to make light of work, but the Bible has plenty to say about laziness. The apostle Paul went as far as to say if a person isn’t willing to work, he or she shouldn’t eat (2 Thess. 3:10).
A strong work ethic is a concept that is repeatedly addressed in the Scriptures. In the book of Proverbs, a sluggard is depicted as the opposite of a diligent person. He or she is a slacker and someone who avoids, postpones, or does as little work as possible. Unlike the oppressed who suffer poverty because of circumstances beyond their control, the sluggard’s poverty results from his choices. The sluggard will choose sleep over work and then rationalize sleeping in and frequent naps as “just a little.” Solomon, the author of Proverbs 6 warns:
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man. (Prov. 6:9-11).
Solomon teaches that if we are idle, poverty will arrive in a manner that is sudden and unexpected. In other words, a slacker may find himself suddenly unemployed and broke. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you struggle in this area, Solomon instructed the lazy person to consider the ways of an ant (v.6). An ant makes progress little by little as it diligently plans for the future. The ant doesn’t need supervision and does the work without being prodded.
Keep in mind, the first thing God revealed about Himself in the Scriptures is He is a God who is at work (Gen. 1). As image-bearers of God, human beings are designed to work, and therefore we’ll feel unfulfilled if we don’t. I’ll leave you with a couple of things to think about.
Thought to Ponder:
- How would you describe your work ethic? Do you work hard or do the bare minimum?
- What areas of your work life would you like to improve?
[1] Warren B. Wiersbe, Be Skillful: God’s Guidebook to Wise Living, (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook, 1995), 110.
