Posted on 06/20/2019 4:52:25 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing” (Proverbs 20:4).
This man is just looking for a reason to be lazy, “therefore, shall he beg in harvest.” Now, sometimes it isn’t any fun to get out there in the springtime and plow that hard ground. You just can’t wait for that 60-70-degree weather—it’ll be too late. That old Farmer’s Almanac will tell you when to get out there and plow that seed and you’d better get out there. If you want the crop to come up right and have the best possible conditions and the most rain—there is a good time to plant corn and there is the best time to plant beans—and that is when you need to do it. You have to do it at the right time, whether it is cold, or it is warm. Farming is not a lazy man’s calling.
“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold,” if a lazy man is looking for a reason, any reason is good enough for them.
“. . . therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing,” this is a good soul-winning text. Some personal workers will not plow in the cold. That certainly applies to the folks that you will be trying to reach. Now, I realize that not everyone is going to be warm toward you. But the faithful soul-winner is still to plow and plant seed in those men’s hearts. Now, it can’t always be helped. If a person flat out says no to you and is not interested, well, you can always ask them if you can help them carry their groceries. You can always try to break down that wall that is built up so that you can plant some seeds of faith.
The coldness may turn warm one day and you will be able to plant that seed—and it will germinate.
“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing” that is the Bible principle, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (II Thessalonians 3:10).
Of course, that is not true in America. If a man refuses to work here they will put them on the welfare plantation and the taxpayers can pay for them.
In verse 4, it is all about character. Character is doing what is supposed to be done simply because it is the right thing to do. It is right for a man to feed his family, and himself—and not depend on someone else to do it. It is done because it is needed to be done, not because it is pleasurable, or you like to do it. Character produces the right results.
Let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread!
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Please add me to your list. I recall some preacher saying he starts off each day with several Proverbs and a Psalm. I’ve been meaning to do that....
“This man is just looking for a reason to be lazy..”
Like my daughter’s boyfriend - he has so many excuses. “The work is too hard for too little pay.” “The manager was a jerk.” (They all are! Sometimes.) “I’m really interested in it - but I could get hurt.” “I like that - but I’d need to go back to school and I need to get a job first.”
I added you to the list.
And, hey, our daughter’s boyfriends are never going to be good enough. Amen!
No - I guess you are right - they will never be good enough! But is it too much to ask that they have a job by the age of 25?
LOL! I’m waiting for the day that my daughter get’s it. The trouble is she works hard and has saved up a lot of money. Although I’m guessing that is going pretty fast.
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