Pastor Bill West
August 7, 2022Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. (Prov. 6:6–11)
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5
The Diligent vs. The Lazy (Sluggard)Personally Motivated.Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”
Proverbs 10:4–5
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
Proverbs 19:24
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 14:23
He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
Proverbs 28:19
Shares With Others.The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.
Proverbs 21:25–26
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
Ephesians 4:28
Work for An Audience of One.Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23–24
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Hebrews 6:10
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Matthew 9:36–38
Bottom Line: We Work for An Audience of One!
