Scripture – “A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!”
Proverbs 19:24 NIV
Observation – A sluggard is a lazy person. In this verse God compares a sluggard to a person who puts their hand down to grab some food but they are too lazy to lift it up their mouth. This is obviously hyperbole but the point is made that laziness and procrastination is pathetic.
Application – In what areas of your life are putting your hand in the dish but not bringing it back to your mouth. Is it something as simple as writing a thank you letter or something important that could have a long term detrimental impact on your life. I’m listening to a book called Nudge. In the book the author describes how companies changed the onboarding process for new employees because many of them were not participating in the company’s 401k matching retirement plan. During the original enrollment process the employee had to say “yes” to joining the 401k plan and fill out a form online. If they did this the company would match their contribution which amounted, in some cases to, a 100% return on the employee’s investment. Even though their money would be doubled every year many new employees were too lazy to fill out the form. The companies changed the process which required the employee to fill out a form online declining the matching 401k plan. As a result almost everyone participated because they were too lazy to fill out the other form that would keep them out of the plan. God has given us many blessings in this life that require our energy and diligence. If you are lazy, fight it so you can receive good gifts from God.
Prayer – Lord, thank you that we get to participate in this life and not be like an animal in a cage that is given everything. I pray for diligence and perseverance for my brothers and sisters. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 