Session 7: The Sluggard
Read 6:6-8; 13:4; 15:19; 22:13; 24:30-34; 26:14-16
Do you ever put off until later what you could do now? Perhaps you have heard a soft voice saying to you, “That messy garage will still be there tomorrow, leave it for later.” We all have a tendency to procrastinate, to put off things we should be doing. Soon all that we have postponed becomes due and then we are frustrated because we are overwhelmed. Today’s session helps us to see Mr. Procrastinator, the Sluggard, in a new way. The proverbs about the sluggard are almost comical yet his prospects are bleak, so maybe we can benefit from Solomon’s advice.
1. What is your favorite excuse for putting off until tomorrow what you should do today?
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2. What task are you most tempted to postpone?
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3. What are some of the characteristics of a sluggard contained in the proverbs we just read?
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4. Do you see any characteristics in the sluggard that surprise you?
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5. Do you see any personality traits of yourself in these verses?
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6. In these proverbs, what character qualities are contrasted with being a sluggard?
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7. Proverbs 15:19 shows a surprising quality about a sluggard – he works harder then anyone else, when they work at all. Why is this?
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8. What is one area of your life where a characteristic of being a sluggard is more pronounced?
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9. How does the example of an ant in 6:6-8 highlight one remedy for being a sluggard?
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10. How can you apply the remedy suggested by the ant to the area you identified in question #8?
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11. What do you think is the point of the comparison of a sluggard to a thief and an armed person n 24:30-33?
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12. The proverbs hold out little hope of reforming a fool but seems to offer some hope for the sluggard. Why?
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To “just do it” seems to be agonizingly hard for us at times. Even Jesus mentioned that at times, “the spirit is willing but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41). Resolve to be strong in your commitment to complete your tasks in a timely manner, others may be relying upon your example. Sometimes in church work we are tempted to do enough to just get by. We think no one will notice but it is as much through our example that we encourage those about us who might also think that no one will notice. Our Father in heaven knows all and sees all.