July 24

Jul 24 - Today from Proverbs 24 we look at verses 30 & 31
"I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins."

Just what is a sluggard? Well, the word is only found in the book of Proverbs. The literal word picture of the translation means to lean idly. If we were speaking of an inanimate object, we might well imagine a hoe leaning against the tool shed while weeds were overtaking and choking out the garden. The sluggard would be the person who should be working the hoe. Where is that person? Anywhere but on the business end of the hoe. Why isn't that person working the garden with the hoe? Because that person lacks judgment.
What does it mean to lack judgment? The KJV translates it as a person void of understanding. It is a person who doesn't understand the true situation of the world in which one lives. It is a person who doesn't understand that success and prosperity do not come by chance, but by diligence, hard work, taking advantage of opportunity and using the skills and abilities one has. It is a person who doesn't understand that the world owes them nothing, rather they owe it to themselves to carve out a piece of the world and make it prosper. They do not understand that when one becomes idle in attending to the piece they have, the world will quickly overtake it.
It really doesn't matter what your field or vineyard might be; your career, your marriage, your church, or even your relationship with the Lord - each is an opportunity. Each has potential for fruitfulness. Each requires diligence, hard work, and application of skills and abilities. Each requires an investment of yourself if you ever want to benefit from their potential.
One of the most common attributes of the sluggard is this: When the opportunity before them is failing for want of their commitment to see it prosper and bear fruit, they abandon the opportunity in search of another fresh one. The sluggard goes to the garden shed of the overgrown and failing field, grabs the hoe which has been leaning against the wall all these months, and is off to find another shed upon which he can lean his hoe. A shed next to a healthier looking field. Hopefully this field will not become overgrown, and the sluggard will see some fruit from it.
Do you see the picture? Can you hear the voice of the sluggard?
"There is no future in this job. I'm not getting anywhere. I quit! There's got to be something better out there."
"Our marriage is washed up. My husband will never learn. I can't believe I married such a jerk. I can't stand to be in the same house with him any more. I am suing for divorce on the grounds of incompatibility."
"I'm no longer getting fed at our church. The people aren't all that friendly. We don't seem to be growing. Our youth program isn't holding the interest of our kids. I think it's time we look for another church."
"I tried Christianity. It never did me any good. If Jesus loves us so much, why has all of this misery come upon us? There must be other belief systems that actually work."
The sluggard is a constant victim. The problem is, they are a victim of their own shortcomings and they don't seem to know it. There is a 'cure' for sluggardness. It is called a change in attitude and in behavior. It begins by opening one's eyes to the opportunities before them, and then rolling up their sleeves. . .
The most productive opportunity by far is one's relationship with the Lord. The fruit of this effort will supply everything needed to succeed in the other opportunities of life. From it you will grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Apply those, and your other efforts will transform into productive fields as well.