Is Laziness a Sin?
We have been going through Bible Basics in the last few posts here on the Rebel Blog. And then I suddenly stopped uploading articles for almost two months…
Personally, I was taking a break from social media and blogging. I really wanted to spend more time with God and stay focused on growing my relationship with Him—not on growing my subscriber list, or my YouTube channel, or anything else.
During this journey, I realized something about myself that you may be able to relate with.
Sometimes … I can be very lazy.
In the past, I have bragged about working hard. Spending long hours at my desk, typing away, doing research, running an independent publishing company. We have produced some really great books, we have come a long way, in Jesus’ name. God has brought The Rebel Christian Publishing much success and I am so thankful. I’m hardly ever lazy in my work, but I have been lazy in my Spirit. And my Spirit is what matters most—that’s why I took a break.
It took me a little while to notice this about myself. Initially, I was taking a break to focus on God. But the longer I stayed away from the blog and my YouTube channel, the more I realized I wasn’t “staying away” … I was avoiding it.
Why?
Because I just didn’t feel like doing it. I had gotten lazy.
But sometimes we all need a break, right? Sometimes a vacation is good. You don’t want to burn yourself out.
That’s all correct. A break can be helpful, relaxing is just as important as working, and getting burned out doesn’t help anyone at all. However, how long is your break going to last? When does your relaxation go from a vacation to a retirement? How long does it take to recover from being burned out?
The answer isn’t simple or black and white. Some of us take a break from work because God leads us in that direction. Sometimes the Holy Spirit encourages us to relax in our work so that we can rest in Him.
God is our strength. He wants us to lean on Him and be totally dependent on His provision. I love depending on God and I love doing the work of the Lord. But you have to be watchful in your rest. Even though resting from work is good, it can also be a little dangerous.
Taking time away from social media is one thing. Going on a family vacation is one thing. But taking a break from something that is part of your ministry isn’t so simple. You must keep watch over yourself and be responsible in your time away, otherwise, you may find yourself falling into complacency.
Now, complacency is not the same as laziness. Some would even argue complacency is a good thing under certain circumstances—and I would agree with that statement. But I also believe the line between laziness and complacency isn’t as thick as some might think.
I became complacent in my break. And that complacency turned to laziness.
My decision to take time away and focus on God turned into consideration to quit entirely—and not because I wanted to be closer to Jesus. I wanted to forget the blog and the YouTube channel because I just didn’t feel like doing it anymore.
This is obviously a personal experience. Not everyone who takes a break ends up wanting to quit, but I felt the need to share this with you as a warning. Maybe your experience isn’t like mine at all, but don’t take this article lightly.
Complacency can lead to laziness. And laziness is dangerous. I would even argue that the Bible is against it.
Does this mean you will die and go to hell for being lazy? No, my friend, that’s not how it works. But it does mean that laziness is something God wants us to be on guard against, because it brings nothing good into our lives.
Let’s look at it from a biblical perspective.
Proverbs 12:24 NIV says, Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
This scripture is so important because it reminds us that we are supposed to be leaders in our lives. Kindly enough, the Bible tells us how to become leaders—by being diligent. Diligence is the opposite of laziness. It is defined as, a careful and persistent work or effort.
Are you careful and persistent in your ministry? Are you constantly putting forth your best effort when you work for the Lord? That is what it means to be diligent, that is what it means to not be lazy.
Amazingly, this scripture also tells us what will happen if we are not diligent. Our laziness will end in forced labor. In other words—slavery.
It may be hard to wrap our minds around slavery in this era, but it isn’t meant to be taken as literal. We can be enslaved by many things, bad habits, toxic people, addiction, even social media.
When you choose to spend money on gambling or alcohol or drugs, instead of paying your bills, you are enslaved by addiction.
When you choose to spend hours scrolling through your phone instead of spending time with God or spending time with family, you are enslaved by social media.
When you allow the television to be the example of how you live your life or define your values/morals, instead of the Word of God, you have allowed your mind to be enslaved by Hollywood.
Slavery exists in many forms, but much of it stems from the same source—laziness.
Being spiritually lazy harms your ministry and your relationship with God, but the Lord doesn’t want laziness to exist in any part of our lives. Imagine the consequences of being a lazy parent, or a lazy spouse, or even a lazy employee in your work outside the church.
Colossians 3:23 NIV says, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
Notice that Paul immediately compares the act of working with all your heart to working for the Lord. This is because there is an inherent expectation that everything you do for the Lord should be done diligently—carefully and persistently. But Paul takes this work ethic even further by saying work with all your heart in whatever you do.
That means, even when your work has nothing to do with your ministry, do it well. Never let anyone say you did a bad job, or you were lazy or slothful. Work diligently in everything, but especially in God’s work. Keep Christ in the center.
I hope this message encouraged you and motivated you to pick up any slack that may have been affecting different areas of your life. Remember, the best way to chase away laziness is by applying the Word. Speak diligence over yourself. Every day, declare that in Jesus’ name, you are persistent, that you are careful, and that you work with all your heart. Especially for the Lord!
God bless