Proverbs 6:10-11 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator something to do? Nothing.
You know that reminds me of an animal documentary I watched about sloths. It almost lost me because it was kind of slow. Haha. Ok, let’s get back on track after that terrible dad joke. Where were we? Oh yeah, sloths.
Did you know sloths move at a maximum speed of fifteen feet per minute. To put that in context, it would take them twenty minutes to travel the length of a football field and almost six hours to travel one mile. I’m sure glad sloths don’t run the world!
Sloths actually move so slow that they often have algae growing on them. Think about that. How slow do you have to be moving to have moss growing on you?
We all know that sloths have well earned their position as synonymous with the word slow. In fact, did you know that when you look sloth up in the dictionary, the first definition given is not the description of an animal, but rather a definition of a person lacking worth ethic? Here’s the fist definition given for sloth:
Sloth — reluctance to work or make an effort; laziness
Everything about the physiology of a sloth is designed perfectly for slow, methodical movements. Now, this may be good if you’re a three toed animal designed for hanging upside down in trees, but it’s not a desirous description for a human infused with purpose and destiny by the Creator of the universe.
God called us to be productive because he is productive. From the very beginning of Genesis chapter 1, we see God at work producing things and hitting deadlines. That passion is in us because it’s in Him. There is something deep inside each of us that desires to be productive and to accomplish something meaningful while we are on this planet.
One day we will all stand before Jesus to give an account for the way we managed our time and talents on this earth. I’m not talking about a scary, condemning Jesus. That’s not who He is. He’s so kind and loving, but He is also firm and has high expectations for us. What I don’t want to have to say is, “You know, Lord, I was going to get to that.”
Here’s the message of this scripture: What are you putting off for tomorrow that you should be attacking today? Tomorrow is always one day away. Stop putting off for tomorrow what should be done today.
My follow up question is then: What are you waiting for? Get started!
PRAYER
Lord today, I want to thank you for giving me purpose. I thank you for calling me to be productive and to play a part in Your Kingdom. Show me where I have been procrastinating what you’ve asked me to do. As you show me, I commit to begin today. Thank you again for the amazing privilege of being created in your image with immeasurable potential.