Laziness really gets hammered in the book of Proverbs. It is important to stop and rest, in fact, God set aside the seventh day as a day of rest. But he also said, “Six days you shall labour” (Exodus 20:9). There is no justification for idleness. The issue is not only related to earning a living. It is important for us to steward our time well so that we are being productive. You may be retired from formal employment, but this is no license to be idle. No one gets put out to pasture in the Kingdom of God. You don’t retire from your responsibility to be productive. A human being can be immensely fruitful for the Kingdom even in the midst of frailty and sickness, in fact, sometimes especially in frailty and sickness. God does not restrict himself to working through fit young people (although where there is youth and fitness he will make good use of it for his purpose). So long as you can communicate with people and with God, you can have a significant role in God’s mission. In fact, even if you can only communicate with God, you can have a huge impact on people’s lives through prayer. So long as you have breath in you God has a job for you to do and it is no less important than that of your church leaders. Make yourself available to God and you will find pathways to service opening up. Whether you are retired or busy with work or family, God wants to use you in every context for his purpose. He calls you to diligent service.
Ask God to make you more productive for his purpose.
Read Proverbs 6:1-19
