Pastors Blog

She watches over the affairs of ther household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
-Proverbs 31:27

The "bread of idleness" is an interesting phrase, don't you think? Where does that come from? Is idleness like a poison that one can consume? I wonder.

The slothful person is often pictured in the Book of Proverbs sitting or lying down and doing nothing: "How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?" (See Proverbs 6:6-11). In an agrarian society, you have the daylight hourse to do your work. You have the springtime to do your planting. You have a few weeks to bring in the harvest (Proverbs 10:4-5).

When I was a boy we leased a farm near Richland Springs, Texas. We grew peanuts, pecans, and pears, among other things. The pear harvest was overwhelming the first year we lived there. The trees were loaded, their branches bent to the ground. We harvested some of them, but we did not have a market for those pears. We canned what we could, and the rest spoiled in just a couple of weeks as they dropped to the ground and the birds and insects ate them full of holes.

We have today. Yesterday is gone, and we should dismiss it from our minds. Tomorrow is not assured, and it could easily rain or turn cold. Today the sun is shining, I am strong and healthy, and I should be doing the things of first priority. Wisdom dictates that I care for my family first, that household affairs are in order, and that I do not fritter away my time while important matters go unattended.

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 27

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to set aside the anxieties that paralyze me. Give me faith to walk through this day attending tot he things that matter most. Keep from wasteful activities that drain my spirit and are poor substitutes for worthy and honorable endeavors.