First Baptist Church Litchfield
chapel 3/11

      • Proverbs 6:6–9ESV

  • Lazy Bones
  • Word of God

      • 1 Peter 4:11ESV

  • A Cheerful Heart

  • The Strange Story of Mr. Lazy Bones

    Bob Kauflin, Steven Altrogge, and Doug Plank wrote a humorous children’s song about a character named Mr. Lazy Bones. The song describes a man who spends most of his time sleeping on the couch and inventing excuses for why he cannot help with the work around him.
    The lyrics say,
    Have you heard about Mr. Lazy Bones? You can find him sleeping on his couch at home. When there’s work outside for him to do He is working hard to find another excuse.
    We laugh when we hear that song because we recognize something about human nature. Laziness is not something we have to learn. It comes naturally to us.
    Ever since the fall into sin, our hearts are bent away from responsibility and toward comfort. We like rest more than work. We like entertainment more than effort. We like excuses more than discipline.
    If we do not fight that tendency, we slowly become like Mr. Lazy Bones. We begin to avoid responsibility. We delay what needs to be done. We become people that others cannot depend on. As a consequence, our life is not good and purposeful. You are not satisfied.
    Yet God created human beings very differently. From the beginning of the Bible we see that God is a worker. In Genesis 1 He creates the world. In Genesis 2 He places Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it.” Work is not a punishment. Work is part of God's good design.
    That is why the Bible repeatedly calls God’s people to diligence.
    Proverbs 10:4 says, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
    So, this morning, God is going to teach us a lesson:

    God calls His people to develop a strong work ethic through diligence and responsibility.

    In Proverbs 6, God gives us a surprising teacher on this subject. Our teacher is not a king or a general or a famous leader.
    Our teacher is an ant.
    This morning we will see two lessons from this passage by looking at a contrast.
    First, the diligent ant teaches us how to work. Second, the sluggard warns us what happens when we refuse to work.

    First Lesson: Learn Initiative from the Ant

    Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”
    Notice what Solomon says. He tells the lazy person to go outside and study an ant.
    God often teaches us wisdom through creation. Jesus did the same thing. He told people to look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field in order to understand God's care.
    In the same way, Proverbs tells us to look carefully at the ant.
    Verses 7-8 say, “Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”
    The ant teaches us the value of initiative. Initiative means doing the right work without being forced.
    The ant does not wait for a supervisor. The ant does not need someone standing over her shoulder telling her what to do.
    She simply works.
    There are three things about initiative and work ethic we learn from the ant.

    The Ant Uses the Strength God Gave Her

    Ants are extraordinary creatures. Scientists estimate that ants can carry between ten and fifty times their body weight. If a person could do that, the average human could carry several thousand pounds. But the point is not simply how strong ants are. The point is that ants use the strength God gave them.
    In the same way, God has given every one of you abilities.
    Some of you are strong academically. Some of you are gifted athletically. Some of you are artistic. Some of you are natural leaders. Some of you are very disciplined.
    The question is not whether God gave you gifts. The question is whether you will use them.
    Martin Luther once said,
    “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.” Martin Luther
    Your diligence blesses other people. Your hard work helps your classmates learn. Your discipline helps your family. Your effort helps your teachers. God calls you to use the strength He has given you.

    The Ant Works for the Good of the Community

    Ants do not work only for themselves.
    They work for the colony. They gather food. They build tunnels. They protect their young. Each ant contributes to the good of the whole. The Bible calls Christians to live the same way.
    Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
    When you complete your assignments on time, you are helping your teachers. When you take responsibility at home, you are helping your parents. When you show up prepared for practice, you are helping your team. Hard work is one of the ways we love our neighbor.

    The Ant Plans for the Future

    Verse 8 says the ant gathers food during harvest.
    The ant understands seasons.
    There is a time to work and a time to rest. In another book of wisdom called Ecclesiastes, the Teacher teaches us how seasons work in God’s creation, and he is not just talking about the weather. In Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, the Teacher says,
    “1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
    The Teacher in Ecclesiastes, like the ant, reminds us that life moves through seasons. Know the season God has placed you right now and know the season that is to come next. If the ant wastes the summer, winter will be devastating. The same is true for you.
    For example, as students, your school years are a season of preparation. Every assignment is shaping your mind. Every book is forming your understanding. Every responsibility is training your character.
    Students who learn discipline early often discover that life opens many opportunities later. But those who avoid responsibility often find themselves unprepared for the challenges that God brings into their lives. That is why diligence today matters so much.
    So the ant gives us a positive example of diligence. She teaches us to take initiative using the strength that God provides for the good of her community, with the wisdom of knowing the season God has her in that moment.
    But Proverbs also gives us a warning. If the ant shows us what wisdom looks like, the sluggard shows us what foolishness looks like.

    Second Lesson: Avoid the Path of the Sluggard (Proverbs 6:9)

    Proverbs 6:9 says, “How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?”
    A sluggard is a lazy person. The sluggard appears many times in Proverbs. He is the picture of foolishness. The sluggard loves comfort more than responsibility.
    Proverbs 19:15 says, “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.”
    Proverbs 26 describes the sluggard in almost humorous ways.
    It says, “As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.”
    The image is simple. A door moves but it never goes anywhere. The sluggard moves around but accomplishes nothing.
    The sluggard also makes excuses.
    Proverbs 26:13 says, “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road!’”
    In other words, the lazy person invents imaginary dangers to avoid responsibility.
    Students can do the same thing. Instead of doing homework, we scroll social media. Instead of studying, we watch videos. Instead of preparing, we procrastinate.
    Little choices begin to form a habit.
    And Proverbs gives a serious warning. Verses 10 and 11 say,
    “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber.”
    Notice the phrase “a little.”
    Laziness rarely begins with a huge decision. It begins with small habits.
    Just a little procrastination. Just a little distraction. Just a little delay. But those small habits slowly shape your character.
    And eventually they shape your future.
    Imagine two students beginning the school year. One student studies consistently, prepares for tests, and completes assignments carefully. Another student delays everything until the last minute. At first their lives look similar.
    But by the end of the year, the difference becomes obvious. One student is confident and prepared. The other is stressed and struggling. Small habits produce big outcomes.
    At this point we might feel the weight of this passage. Because if we are honest, every one of us has moments when we act like the sluggard. This is where the gospel becomes very important to us.

    The Gospel and Our Work

    The Bible does not simply tell us to work harder. The Bible points us to Christ. Jesus Himself was perfectly diligent.
    In John 4:34 Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
    Jesus never wasted His mission. He faithfully obeyed His Father all the way to the cross. And on that cross, Jesus bore the punishment for every sin, including our laziness, our excuses, and our neglect of responsibility. Through His resurrection, He gives forgiveness and new life.
    2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
    Through the Holy Spirit, Christ begins changing our hearts. We put off laziness and put on diligence. We begin to work not merely for grades or praise but for the glory of God.
    Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
    That means homework can glorify God. Practicing an instrument can glorify God. Cleaning your room can glorify God. Helping your parents can glorify God. All of life becomes an act of worship.

    Choosing Not to Become Mr. Lazy Bones

    Let’s return to our opening song. Mr. Lazy Bones is always resting. Always making excuses. Always avoiding responsibility.
    The song ends by saying, “Lazy Bones can help us see what we never want to be.”
    That is exactly the lesson of Proverbs 6. God places two pictures before us. The diligent ant and the lazy sluggard.
    One works faithfully and prepares for the future. The other delays responsibility until everything falls apart.
    Every day you make choices that move you toward one of those paths. By the grace of God, He has put you in a school that helps you move toward the path of the ant. He has given you teachers who love you and lead you to Jesus, who help you be diligent in your work.
    Through Christ, God gives you a new heart, new strength, and a new purpose. You do not work simply to succeed. You work to honor the God who created you, redeemed you, and called you to serve Him with your whole life.
    So go to the ant. Consider her ways. Be wise. Be diligent in your work.

      • Proverbs 6:9ESV

  • Empowered by the Spirit, Guided by the Word

      • 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13ESV

First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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