"The fool folds his hands and ruins himself" Ecclesiastes 4:5
Hidden away within Solomon's section on the busy and toilsome pursuit of wealth and success is this little gem. It's easy to gloss over when reading through the section but it is certainly worth spending some time to meditate on it.
In both this passage and a similar passage in Proverbs Solomon is talking about the lazy person, the fool who, rather than work hard, folds their hands to rest. Picture the person who is constantly avoiding work or pausing to 'rest' frequently when they do not need to. Solomon's warning is clear: this person will ruin themselves. In Proverbs Solomon warns that for those who are lazy, poverty and scarcity will seize them like an armed robber.
We don't often talk about laziness in our culture. We prize being busy. We generally suppose that as long as we are busy, occupying our time with many things, then we are not being lazy. We rush from place to place and fall in a heap at the end of each day feeling a sense of pride in our own accomplishments. We assume that because we are busy we couldn't possibly be lazy. This is far from the truth. How often we are lazy in a much more subtle, dangerous way when we substitute irrelevant things for important things.
Think about it: Do you prioritise your family and the way that you look after them or do you fill your time with other things that distract from this core responsibility? Do you work hard at your job , wisely and honestly using every moment as if working for the Lord himself or do you fill your work time with idle things that give only the appearance of productivity? Do you prioritise the church and being about God's business or do you fill your time with less important things?
I'm not saying that we should only work or serve in the church, God does desire us to enjoy our lives. However the question is worth asking: how often do we 'fold our hands' by doing all sorts of things which would take our focus, time and attention away from the core things which God has called us to? How much do we allow ourselves to be led astray by the cares and distractions of the world?
Are you ruining yourself?
Prayer: Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
- Pray that God would convict you of any laziness or distraction from the important things of life. Pray that He would grow in your heart a passion for His kingdom above all else. Pray that you would work hard at the things that He has called you to and that you would not allow yourself to be distracted by other things.
- Pray for the families in your church, both young and old. Pray that parents would be wise in the way that they raise and lead their children. Pray that husbands would be loving, gracious and kind to their wives and that they would lead their homes well. Pray that wives would be respectful and loving to their husbands and that they might grow in their love for Christ and their service to their family.
My Additional Prayer Points
Discussion Questions for families and groups
- What are some of the extra things that we add in our lives that distract us from what God has called us to?
- How can we tell if something is an unnecessary and unhelpful distraction from what God has called us to or something that we should enjoy because He has given it to us?
No comments:
Post a Comment