“As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.” Proverbs 26:14
Devotional Thought For The Day
This proverb again addresses the deadly sin of “sloth,” or laziness. The comparison is amusing – a door cannot go anywhere and cannot do anything apart from the rotation of its hinges. It would be some extreme form of laziness for a person to be thus limited in his life – and for this limited “movement” of “turning over” to be circumscribed to one’s bed. The author of this proverb was perhaps reflecting upon his experience of the frustration of parenting an adolescent child. The warning is apt for most of us, perhaps not to this degree; but I must confess there is a strong allure to turning over and snuggling more warmly under the covers when the alarm clock goes off rather than rising and getting to work.
We perhaps suppose the ambition to pursue money and wealth is better than sloth – although we are warned of the dangers of “the love of money,” that this is “the root of all kinds of evil.” [1 “Tim. 6:10] Most wealthy people experience this dynamic, that simply having an abundance and excess of wealth brings rather serious temptations and distortions to one’s life. The Holy Spirit did not cause this warning about the love of money to be written in vain, but rather out of loving concern for all who would maintain spiritual health and vitality, a vigorous and joyful life of faith and fellowship with God: “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” [1 Tim. 6:10] So, it is not just ambition that is encouraged in this proverb, for not all ambition is good. Rather, one’s ambition should be centered in what God’s Word defines as good, right, moral, and in keeping with love, and all proper ambition has love and gratitude to God at its center and heart.
Within the life of the church there is also a great deal of sloth, and also many temptations to ambitions that are less than sanctified, perhaps even evil. Much of this seems quite normal to us, and even commendable, because it conforms to the distortions of our own sinful hearts. Sadly, many have been trained and habituated in this distorted thinking, and are too blind and dull-hearted to even consider the wickedness of such untoward ambition – and pastors are not immune to such dynamics. Many want the servants of the church to conform to their sense of what is proper ambition, their vision of “success” for the church, in part because this helps to “justify” their own selfishness and lack of genuine love, and perhaps caters to their own sinful rejections of God’s Word and will. So let all beware; sinful and wrong-hearted ambition can be even more dangerous and wicked than sloth. But sloth too is easily identified as an evil that servants of the Word, and all Christians, must work to avoid as the Spirit works our sanctification and renewal in love.
There is amusing irony that we want our infant children to sleep more, especially during the night, but then want our children to get up and get going as they get older. Balance is always a struggle – also in the matter of rest/sloth and keeping our ambitions healthy. May God grant us an abundance of His Spirit, so that His Word may properly instruct and habituate our hearts in genuine love.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, during Your earthly ministry You often rested, and were accused of sloth and gluttony and drunkenness, yet in all things You were properly ambitious for the blessedness of people – especially in Your self-sacrifice of atonement for the sin of the world, including our sins. Help us to avoid laziness and also all of the distorted ambitions that flow from our sinful hearts. Bless Your people with wisdom and balance, for the health and blessedness of Your church. Amen.