She does not eat the bread of idleness. —Proverbs 31:27b

I guess most of you have heard the expression, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." How true this statement is! When you are not being productive, Satan starts planting thoughts and lies in your head.

The Bible has lots to say on this subject. In fact, Proverbs alone is filled with wisdom dealing with productivity vs. laziness. Let's take a look at a few verses throughout the Bible. In Proverbs 31, the Bible says "she does not eat the bread of idleness." Titus 2:5 tells us that we should be "busy at home." 2 Thessalonians 3:11 says, "We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy, they are busybodies." Maybe this is where the saying stems from: Idle hands are the devil's workshop!

If you read the entire verse in Titus 2, "busy at home" comes after "be self-controlled." Sometimes it takes a lot of self-control to turn off the TV or in my case, step away from the computer to actually fulfill our responsibilities. At other times, it may take self-control to step away from the work and spend time with the Lord and our families. This is one of those matters of balance. If we choose to be too busy, it is easy to neglect those we love the most. I believe this is another one of Satan's traps.

In Exodus 5, the Israelites were still in slavery to the Egyptians. They had in their hearts to go worship the Lord. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh asking for permission for the people to be able to take a three day journey for worship and sacrificing purposes. Even Pharaoh knew how powerful keeping people too busy was. He ordered more work to be added to the Israelites' daily load, saying, "Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies" (Exodus 5:9). He knew that if he kept them busy, they wouldn't have time to even think about worship. Isn't this how Satan works today?

We need to take a look at our own lives. First of all, are we being productive? Secondly, are we too busy for worship and family time? Don't let Satan have even the smallest foothold in getting us out of focus. Keep the balance!

Isn't it awesome to see God's timing in even the little things? I had a lot of trouble putting this devotion together, due to my busyness! I think the Lord was speaking to me as I am convicted to get back in focus!

 

Copyright © by Susan Sikes Share

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