Sunday, 10 May 2020

Proverbs 10.4-5; 26

Lazy people have been around for a long time. I am sure we can recognize one when we see one because we cannot miss them. Proverbs says a lazy person will irritate you like “vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes.” The trouble is that lazy people are everywhere. They are found in homes, the market place, the schools, and even in the churches. Wherever they are, they are irritants and unpleasant ordeal to others but they feel nothing about it.

Proverbs describe a lazy person as a sluggard. Laziness is slothfulness. He moves slowly, with no sense of urgency, loves to sleep, wants more without any effort to work for it. He always out-argues with his reasons to excuse himself. He is easily defeated by minor obstacles or hindrances to get things done. As vinegar causes teeth to ache and smoke causes eyes to burn, so a lazy person irritates and hurts his boss or employer, or anyone else depending on him.

Proverbs 10:26 (NLT)
Lazy people irritate their employers,
like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

One of the many excuses of a lazy person is: not fair with so much discrimination, for race, religion, sex, lack of connection with the higher-ups, etc. In the Old Testament, Joseph and Daniel, both of these young men were in places not of their choosing. They lived in a foreign country, but with hard work and wisdom AND the fear of God, they climbed to the very top of their careers. They seized every opportunity of the day to do their best, as they succeeded.

Procrastination is another form of laziness. It often starts right early in the morning of each day. Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges (Pro. 26.14). If you can do it today, don’t push it for tomorrow.
Laziness has no place in the life of a disciple of Jesus. The consequence of a lazy person is heart-breaking. Hence, poverty is the result of the continuous sin of laziness. Lazy children bring disgrace to their parents. Lazy parents make their children suffer in want. Laziness can cause us to lose our jobs. Laziness deprives us of our right to eat.

Proverbs 10:4 (NLT)
Lazy people are soon poor;
hard workers get rich.
10.5 A wise youth harvests in the summer,
but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
12.11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
12.24 Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.
13.4 Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.

As children of God, we are richly blessed with abilities and opportunities to love and serve God and people. Let us be good stewards of the Time, Talents and Treasures God has blessed us with. Let us use them freely.
“FREELY RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE”.
He said, Freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT)
Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave,[a] there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
Colossians 3:23 (NLT)
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Prayer for today

Gracious God, our heavenly Father, today we especially thank you for our mothers. They are special to us. We thank you Lord, for their care and nurture; for love and support, wisdom and sacrificial giving; for tears and smiles; for encouragement and correction; thank you Lord, that in such love we see a reflection of you own love for us.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with children, help us to raise them with you in mind. Help us to teach them the right values and to raise them up to love You, to seek Your heart to guide them to pursue the path that you have laid before them. Lord, help us to along the path, even as we face difficult patches and navigate uncharted waters.

There are times, we feel we are at the end of the rope. We commit our rebellious teenagers to you. Lord, show our children the race You have marked out for them to run. Teach them to run their race with perseverance, fixing their eyes always, and only on You. Hebrew 12.1-2. Teach our children not to copy to the ways of this world, but to be transformed into new persons by the way they think. Then they will know that God’s will for them is good and pleasing and perfect. Rom. 12.2. Grant them strength to resist temptations and direct their steps to follow you daily.
Lord, protect our relationship with our spouse. Help us to walk the talk before our children. Forgives us when we lost control when we were under stress. Our words have caused hurt to each other, forgive us and heal us. O Holy Spirit, help us to let you saturate our lives. May your Holy Spirit give us the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Lord we Praise You and Bless Your Holy Name for our mothers, grant them good health, spiritual vitality and much joy each day. We thank you in Jesus’ Name.

Amen.
Pastor Isaac Yim

xxx

每日灵粮
10/05/20星期日
作者：严以撒牧师
箴言10:4-5；26
10:4-5手懒的、要受贫穷．手勤的、却要富足。夏天聚敛的、是智慧之子．收割时沉睡的、是贻羞之子。
10：26懒惰人叫差他的人、如醋倒牙、如烟薰目。

懒惰人一直以来都存在着。我很肯定当你看到这种人时，你一定能够认得出他们，因为我们绝对不会错过他们。箴言书说，一个懒惰的人会像“如醋倒牙、如烟薰目”那样让你恼怒。问题是这些懒惰人无处不在。他们会出现在家里，市集，学校，甚至教堂中。不论他们身在何处，都让他人难受及折磨他人，但他们却对此无动于衷。

箴言书将懒惰人形容成一个游手好闲的人。懒惰就是怠惰。他行动缓慢，没有迫切感，喜欢睡觉，想要不劳而获。他总是有许多的借口为自己辩解。他很容易被微小的障碍或拦阻打败，而不能完成工作。就如醋会使牙齿疼痛，烟熏会使眼睛灼伤一样，懒惰的人总会激怒并伤害他的上司或老板，或其他身旁的人。

箴言10:26 懒惰人叫差他的人、如醋倒牙、如烟薰目。
懒惰的人的借口不外如是：由于种族，宗教，性别，与上流社会缺乏联系等等原因而遭受到许多的歧视是不公平的。在旧约圣经中，约瑟和但以理这两个年轻人都是生活在非他们选择的地方。他们虽生活在异国他乡，但由于他们的勤奋和智慧以及对上帝的敬畏，他们登上了事业的巅峰。他们每天都尽最大的努力，用尽一切的机会以取得成功。

拖延症是懒惰的另一种形式。它通常在每天清晨开始。门在枢纽转动、懒惰人在床上也是如此。（箴言26：14）。如果你今天能做好，那就不要拖延到明天。

一个耶稣的门徒的生命不应是懒惰的。懒惰人的下场是令人心碎的。因此，持续性懒惰所导致的罪带来贫穷。懒惰的孩子给父母带来耻辱。懒惰的父母让孩子遭受匮乏之苦。懒惰可能导致我们失业。懒惰剥夺了我们进食的权利。

箴言10：4手懒的、要受贫穷．手勤的、却要富足。
10.5夏天聚敛的、是智慧之子．收割时沉睡的、是贻羞之子。
12.11耕种自己田地的、必得饱食．追随虚浮的、却是无知。
12.24殷勤人的手必掌权．懒惰的人必服苦。
13.4懒惰人羡慕、却无所得．殷勤人必得丰裕。

作为上帝的儿女，我们充满了许多的祝福，我们拥有能力和机会去爱和事奉上帝与人们。让我们成为上帝所赐福于我们的时光，才干和财富的好管家。让我们白白地使用它们。
“白白的得来，白白的舍去”。
祂说：白白的，你们白白的得来，也要白白的舍去。
以我的名义，因为你的相信别人就会知道我活着。

传道书9:10凡你手所当作的事、要尽力去作．因为在你所必去的阴间、没有工作、没有谋算、没有知识、也没有智慧。
歌罗西书3:23无论作甚么、都要从心里作、像是给主作的、不是给人作的。

今天的祷告
亲爱的上帝，我们的天父，今天我们特别为我们的母亲感谢你。她们对我们来说很特别的。我们感谢主，她们的关心和养育；爱与支持，智慧和奉献；眼泪和微笑；鼓励和纠正；谢谢主，在这种爱中，我们看到了你对我们的爱的反映。

上帝，谢谢你赐予我们孩子，当我们在养育他们的时候，让我们不忘记你。帮助我们教导他们正确的价值观，并教导他们爱你，寻求你的心意，并引导他们走在你摆在他们面前的道路。主啊，即使我们面对艰难的小路并穿越未知的水域，也要帮助我们沿着这条道路前进。

有时候，我们觉得自己处在困难的尽头。我们将这些叛逆的少年人仰望在你手中。上帝，请向我们的孩子指示你已为他们准备的当跑的路程。教导他们存心忍耐、奔那摆在他们前头的路程，永远把他们的眼光注目于你。希伯来书12：1-2。教导我们的孩子不要效法这个世界．只要心意更新而变化、叫他们察验何为　神的善良、纯全可喜悦的旨意。罗马书12：2。赋予他们抵抗诱惑的力量，并引导他们每天跟随你。

主啊，保守我们与配偶的关系。帮助我们在孩子面前身体力行，知行合一。当我们在压力下失去控制时，请原谅我们。我们的言语互相伤害，原谅我们，医治我们。哦，圣灵，请帮助我们让你来充满我们的生命。愿你的圣灵赐给我们圣灵的果实。

主啊，我们为我们的母亲赞美你，每天赐给她们健康，活泼的灵命和喜乐。我们奉耶稣的名感谢你。阿们

陈月妃译