“Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,
Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,
Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.
How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
‘A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest’—
Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:6-11 NASB1995)
Who is this sluggard? This is a person who is habitually lazy, who avoids responsibility and having to do what is required of them both by God, and by their commitments to marriage, to their family, to society, to the church (the body of Christ), and to their employers, etc. They make commitments they do not keep, or they are slack in keeping them. And this can be a selective avoiding of commitments made, for they may be dedicated to what they like, while negligent with regard to their most critical areas of responsibility.
For this is not speaking merely of being physically lazy and neglecting physical commitments and responsibilities. In fact, there may be people who are physically not lazy at all, who are very dedicated to their jobs and/or to some other commitments they have made, but while neglecting God and his Word and obedience to his commands. They are spiritually lazy and asleep because they habitually are neglectful to follow the Lord where he leads and to do as he commands. So, they just live however is pleasing to them.
But we who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ must be faithful to our Lord and to his teachings and to his commandments, in living the life that God intends for all who profess the name of Jesus as their Lord (Owner-Master). And he requires that, by faith in him, we deny self, die to sin daily, and that we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to his commands. We are to put out of our lives all that is sinful and that is contrary to the will of God so that we can now live holy lives, pleasing to God, in his power.
And this is not suggesting that we will never sin again or that we are condemned by God if we should ever sin (1 John 2:1-2). But the Scriptures make it quite clear that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God and to his New Covenant commandments, then we don’t know God, we are not in fellowship with Christ Jesus, we are not born of God, our sins are not forgiven, and heaven is not our eternal destiny unless we turn from our sins and we now obey God as a matter of life course, because we love God.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
How Long, O Sluggard
An Original Work / August 11, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
