Proverbs 21:25-26. 25The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. 26All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
The irony is thick in this one. The sluggard desires deeply, yet he refuses to work. He really wants it, but won’t work hard to get it. Verse 26 literally says, “All day he desires with desire.” But somehow this person hasn’t connected desire to effort. The harsh reality? The sluggard’s desires are killing him.
We all probably know this person. Some of us may be this person.
I can’t wait to move out of my parent’s house, but I won’t get a job to pay my bills.
I really want to be married, but I won’t work to develop relationships with the opposite sex.
I want this pain in my marriage to be over, but I won’t do the hard work the counselor is requiring of me.
I wish my team would win, but I won’t show up on time to practice.
I’d love to get into college, but I’m not going to do all my assignments.
I need to find a new job, but I can’t figure out where to start looking.
The problem isn’t that the desires are wrong. The problem is that there is no follow through. No effort connected to the desire. God created man with a desire to eat. And so he also created man with a desire to work the ground, cultivate the soil, plant the seeds, reap the harvest, grind the grain, bake the bread. The desire to eat comes with a desire to labor. Or at least it should. This is why Paul told the Thessalonians, “He who doesn’t work, doesn’t eat.”
Good desires are meant to move us into good labor. They should drive us forward. This is why in our spiritual friendships, mentoring, and parenting, we should be careful not to do everything for a person, especially the sluggard. Helping becomes hurting when we allow the sluggard to remain a sluggard.
Notice in verse 26 how the righteous person is different. They not only work hard to get what they desire, but they also give to others and don’t hold back. The righteous person labors beyond their own needs. The righteous labors to excess not so that they can hoard, but so that they can give to those in need.
There is a spiritual application to these principles. One that plays out in our relationship to Christ. Jesus the righteous gives and gives, and never holds back. Christ did everything for us on the cross, and, by our union with him, he has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Our response? Desire. Craving more and more of Christ’s likeness. But also laboring unto the glory of Christ-likeness.
Christ invites us to work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12). To labor in God’s field (1 Cor. 3:9). To work what is good (Eph. 4:28). To strive to enter rest (Heb. 4:11). To do good and share (Heb. 13:16). To be fervent in spirt, serving the Lord (Rom. 12:11). To be God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10). Christ has placed the desire for all these good things in you, will you now work out your desire for him?
You: What do you desire but struggle to work hard to obtain it?
You in Christ: In Christ we have a desire to know him and be like him? How aware are you of this craving in your heart?
Christ in you: What working out of your salvation do you need to pursue? How is spiritual laziness getting in the way?
Pray: Father, I know sometimes I am a spiritual sluggard. Help me to work hard to enjoy all you have already given me in Christ. Amen.
To Live is Christ 