Laziness neglects the most important aspects of physical, mental, and spiritual care. We have been given a body to use for the glory of God, laziness erodes it. We have been given a mind to use for the glory of God, laziness pollutes it. We have been given a new life in Christ that is purposed to glorify God, laziness hinders it.

Christians should never be classified as lazy people. Our God is a God of excellence, who models purpose and stewardship for His people from His majestic creation of the world in Genesis 1, to the glorious restoration of a New Eden in Revelation 22.
The trouble with such a dogmatic word—“never”—is that we are sinners who miss the mark of God’s perfect standard at many moments in our fallen state. We are saints who sin. We are progressing in sanctification but still far from perfect. Therefore, we must consider ourselves in need of this reminder: laziness, while tempting and common to all, should be hated and resisted at all costs for the Christian.
Laziness is your enemy.
The Sin of Sloth
The book of Proverbs has much to say on laziness, identifying what has been historically called the sin of “sloth” by describing the sluggard who is always craving, talking, and dreaming with his mouth and mind, but is mostly procrastinating, slacking, wasting, or slumbering with their hands and feet. Several passages paint a vivid picture of the slacker of all slackers:
Proverbs 13:4—He craves but gets nothing because he’s not diligent
Proverbs 19:15—He is sleeping when he should be working
Proverbs 21:25—He has strong desires but lazy hands
Proverbs 24:30-34—He doesn’t clue into the need for hard work or doing the hard things
Proverbs 6:6-8—He is a bad planner, always behind the curve of what season is upon him
Proverbs 22:13—He makes excuses and blames other factors for his own laziness
Proverbs 20:4—When it’s time to grind, he’s a no-show. When it’s harvest time, he has nothing!
Proverbs 26:16—He thinks he’s smarter than everyone else and blind to his laziness
Proverbs 26:14—He is annoying to all around him because his laziness negatively impacts others
You don’t need to be a Hebrew scholar to surmise what God wants us to understand about laziness. But that’s just the poetic genre of Proverbs. The New Testament is all about grace, and laziness is overlooked is it not? Not even close.
Matthew 25:26—In Christ’s teachings, a lazy steward is judged harshly
Colossians 3:23—Work at whatever you do with all your heart, as unto the Lord
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12—If someone is not willing to work, he doesn’t eat. Stop being idle
Ephesians 4:28—Do honest work
Colossians 1:28-29—Paul’s example in ministry is an example to all workers to work hard
Defining the Sin of Sloth
Augustine defined sloth as, “The refusal to respond to our opportunities for growth, service, or sacrifice.” Robert Mangis defines sloth as, “The antithesis of worship. Sloth is the neglect of the greatest commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” I would define it simply as: “The sin of not doing the thing I ought to do in any given situation.” Sloth and laziness are scrolling Instagram when you should be working. Sloth and laziness are making excuses when you should be making things happen. Sloth and laziness are blaming others instead of taking responsibility. Sloth and laziness are letting distractions, fears, and anxieties keep you from sitting down making a plan and putting your hands on the plow. Sloth and laziness hate you and your effectiveness for the glory of God! They are lures that taunt you to nestle into the bosom of their pleasures, only to trap you in destructive patterns of idleness. Sloth and laziness hate your physical, spiritual, and mental health.
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Rick Warren and Saddleback have done us the service of showing their hand. They want to persuade us to abandon what the Bible teaches and follow them in another direction. How will we respond in New Orleans?

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) announced earlier this year that Saddleback church had been removed from the SBC over Saddleback’s calling female pastors. Just yesterday, the news broke that Saddleback has appealed that decision, which means that the matter will come before the messengers to the annual meeting in June in New Orleans. Rick Warren cites five reasons for Saddleback’s appeal.
First, Warren claims that “we’re challenging the ruling on behalf of millions of SBC women” who are forced to sit on the bench and cannot participate in the Great Commission. This is a false claim. Southern Baptists believe that God calls and gifts women for ministry. It’s written in our confessional statement, the Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M), and it’s the longstanding practice of our churches—including my own! We need and rely upon the ministries of women in our churches, and all of us—both men and women—are called to carry out the Great Commission. Our beliefs about the office of pastor don’t diminish God’s call on women’s lives one iota, and it’s a distortion to claim that it does. (See this really helpful thread from Jonathan Akin.)
Second, Warren claims that they are challenging the ruling not for their own church but for the “over 300 concerned pastors who have female pastors serving on their staff.” Warren is clear that he wishes to make the SBC a place where women can serve in the pastoral office. He knows that practice contradicts the BF&M, but he wants to lead the entire convention to abandon the BF&M on this point. Nevermind the fact that Southern Baptists have long settled this issue. Warren and Saddleback are going to bring this controversy again. I can hardly imagine a more divisive action on their part.
Third, Warren claims that the BF&M’s teaching about qualified male pastors has caused our missionary force to decline over the last 20 years. This one is a howler. Southern Baptists have never embraced females serving as pastors. Even before the controversy that led to the conservative resurgence in the 20th century, you would have been hard-pressed to find a female pastor anywhere in the convention. It was always a marginal position at best. Even the so-called moderate SBC churches by and large had male pastors. Even though the all-male pastorate wasn’t written into the BF&M until 2000, Southern Baptist practice on this matter has been really consistent. That has never changed. Trying to tie this issue to the number of missionaries currently serving is tendentious and absurd.
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I’m convinced the Lord’s Prayer is the ultimate prayer tool and the first thing believers should memorize, that’s why I mention it so much in my book When Prayer Is a Struggle. If we can learn how to use this Spirit-inspired prayer tool well, many of our struggles to pray will dissipate.

One of my favorite prayer practices is to simply pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) for something specific. It could be a spiritual battle I’m going through or a person. Let me share two examples of what this means:
1. The Frustrating Coworker
Say there’s a coworker who has been talking bad about you to your boss and coworkers, and people are starting to turn on you at work. (Watch a short video of this example.) Pray like this:

Father, help me glorify Your name in this trial with my annoying coworker in every thought, word, and deed.
Would Your Kingdom come in the life of this man—grant him faith and repentance unto salvation, and would You help me live obediently under Your kingship as I persevere in this trial.
Lord, You know how I want to be vindicated and how I don’t want to lose credibility at work, but would Your will be done in this situation. I submit to You.
Please give me the wisdom, patience, self-control, love, and the words to say in this situation.
Please forgive me for the bitterness and anger that have welled up in me because of my coworker’s sin against me, and help me forgive him as You have forgiven me.
Lead me not into the temptation of wanting revenge, or growing more angry, and deliver me from evil people and the attacks of the enemy who wants me to dishonor You with my actions.

That is just one example of how praying the Lord’s Prayer gives us words to pray to God.
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