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Parenting by the Book

Proverbs   Study
Study 55

STUDY 55

Text: Proverbs 6:6-11
14 July 2002

Dear Parents,

THE NEED TO HAVE ENOUGH REST
God made us in such a way that we must have sufficient rest. Sleep is something that can be very restfully refreshing! Babies need lots of sleep. They do well when they can have lots of restful sleep. As we watch babies grow up, we realize that they seem to sleep most of the time. They are awake for a little while. They get up to play and soon they are tired and they need to sleep once again.

A THIN LINE BETWEEN THE NEED TO REST AND THE PROBLEM OF BEING A SLUGGARD
Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between the need to rest up, and the problem of being lazy. The person who is lazy can come up with pretty novel ideas to sleep on. The Book of Proverbs noted some of these excuses. One of them is phrased delicately this way.

A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep.

Proverbs 6:10

This is how a sluggard tries to justify his laziness. He tells himself that he is NOT going to sleep for a long time. He is just going to take a little nap. He is just going to have forty winks and he will be refreshed.

There is nothing wrong with having a little nap, provided that the person gets up truly refreshed. But if a little sleep, a little slumber takes hours, then we are looking at the early beginnings of a slothful person.

The slothful person will make any number of excuses to be lazy. He will complain of tiredness. If that is true, then a little rest would cure that tiredness. But if the individual keeps wanting to sleep for longer and longer spells of time, then he is having a problem of being lazy!

LAZINESS CREATES PROBLEMS OF ITS OWN
Laziness is not a problem that exists by itself. It creates its own set of problems! One major problem that it creates is “poverty”. Let us look once again at this text.

So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

Proverbs 6:11

Proverbs was written to help people deal with the issues of life. It is hard to survive in this world. If one does not work hard, then he must face the very real danger of being destitute. Poverty is described as a prowler. The needs of life is described as an armed man! The sluggard will be attacked by the problems that he creates by being lazy! Wisdom teaches him to be industrious!

Prayerfully,
Pastor Charlie

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