My dear readers,

Are You Fat or Thin?

Proverbs 13:4: “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”

When man fell into sin, God did not curse man directly but indirectly. God cursed the earth, that it would bring forth thorns and thistles. From that day onwards, man needs to work hard by the sweat of his brows until he returns to dust. In this manner, he has less time and energy to sin after hard work. Since then, man has been trying to work less and “play” more, i.e. sin more! Laziness is part of this sinful symptom.

Laziness is a significant problem in every society. Lazy people cut corners whenever possible. Their philosophy is to do the least amount of work and get the most pay. Many societies promote laziness through their welfare system, intentionally or otherwise. Lazy people are given free money every month for doing nothing. They laze around, indulging in sensual activities, thus giving rise to social problems such as alcoholism, addiction to drugs, criminal activities, fornication, unwanted babies leading to abortions, the tearing apart of the family life fabric and the creation of an inferior generation of men and women whose expertise is laziness. Lazy people do not want to work. But they do not want to starve, so they will rob and kill when they are hungry. They will hurt and kill to get a fast dollar.

Many countries have spawned generations of sluggards, so much so that it is nearly impossible to undo or reverse the moral and corrupt decline. It is a matter of time before they are bankrupt and void of any sensible and competent men or women. Nations might be rich in natural resources, and foreign nations might want to invest, but when run by incompetent and sluggard men, no one would dare to invest. Laziness ruins nations and lives, and how much more when laziness ruins lives in the spiritual realm. The consequences of the former are temporal, whereas of the latter, they are eternal! Hence, in Proverbs 13:4 God warns all His people to beware of the sin of laziness.

Do you know the soul can be fat or thin like the physical body?

The literal translation of Proverbs 13:4 is, “Desire and has nothing is the soul of the sluggard, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”

The mark of a thin soul – Man needs to have desires in life. It is usual for every man to have many desires. The issue is the fulfilment and object of these desires. If the desire is for something harmful, then that desire is wrong. It will hurt him the moment his desire is realised. However, if what he desires is good for him and his family, like providing food on the table, clothes on their backs and a roof over their heads, then he should by all means turn them into a reality! In the case of the sluggard, he stops at desiring. He might think that as long as he has a desire, it is good enough, and his conscience feels at peace. But when laziness takes over, and nothing or little is done about it, in the end, he gets nothing. He does not apply for a job requiring eight hours of work. He likes to work part-time to be his own “boss”, so that he can wake up late in the morning and sleep late at night to “play the fool”. Even with part-time jobs, he will fail because of his laziness. He is unreliable. He cannot go to work on time. He claims sick leave after every sneeze and takes advantage of every act of mercy granted to him. His slothfulness will result in more work for his colleagues and perhaps last-minute overtime, and few will like him because of his laziness.

Sadly, this lazy attitude is also true in the spiritual realm. Many have a desire to pray more but do not. They promise God to read the Bible regularly, but something will crop up that will take priority, and Bible reading will again be pushed back. To ease their conscience, they may tell themselves they will do it next year or try again later. They may desire to reach lost souls for Christ but do not bear a good witness for Christ and do not carry tracts with them. There are many more types of desires in the spiritual realm, including serving more or more faithfully, etc, but spiritual laziness stands in the way more times than we care to admit, even before God.

The result of spiritual laziness is many times worse than the laziness itself. Perhaps the worst kind of spiritual laziness is the laziness to study God’s Word. With little or no knowledge of God’s Word, one cannot pray, serve, worship, or serve rightly. Many souls have been lost because of this laziness. Many opportunities to serve and witness for Christ have been blown away by the wind of time because these lazy ones “sat on their hands” and did nothing! Many battles could have been fought for the glory of God, but laziness made us cowards, and we just talk about not serving and not doing enough. At the end of life, nothing was done for Christ.

The soul of the sluggard is thin even though his desire is full.

The mark of a fat soul – But the soul of the diligent is fat. God made it fat. It is a picture of one who is spiritually strong, knowledgeable in God’s Word, and filled to the fullest with experiential knowledge in his walk with God. He has many battle scars as he earnestly contends for the faith once delivered unto the saints for God's glory and blessing of others.

He is a Christian with a strong desire and the diligence and fortitude to turn his desire into reality. The word “diligence” means to do hard labour for a sure reward, like a man mining for gold. He knows that if he works hard, the reward is guaranteed. He plans well and orders his life with military discipline. He works with timely precision and a full, heartfelt conviction that if all things were to be done to God’s glory and by faith, they cannot fail. He will ensure that his topmost priority is the study of God’s Word. He knows that if he lives according to God’s Word, God will guarantee success, for it will always be for his good! Deuteronomy 6:24: “And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.”

The earthly result is a heart filled with love for God, his Saviour, and the people God has placed under his care and in his life. He serves the Lord, offering his life as a living sacrifice unto God. He is an unprofitable servant seeking no reward from God but only His approval at the end of his earthly sojourn. His body may suffer as he sacrifices his time and strength to care for God's people and God’s work but it is worth it, for the Lord has counted him worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake. In this manner of devotion and selfless service unto God in Christ, his soul is fat, for it is filled with an intimate walk and close communion with his heavenly Father, whom he keeps knowing more and more through studying God’s Word.

His diligent soul is made fat by the grace and mercy of God.

Is your soul fat or thin?