Sloth is Unrest -- Grace is Rest that Leads us to Work

"As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed." (Proverbs 26:14)

"hinge" in this verse can also mean "ambassador" or "birth pangs".

The context certainly speaks of "door", but the creaking, or the pain associated with hearing a door creak, may also suggest that the sluggard does not enjoy true rest while in bed.

A better translation of this passage would read:

"Like a swinging door on a creaking hinges, so does a slothful man toss and turn on his bed."

The root of sloth is not a sleepy man, but a spirit filled with unrest.

This unrest in man stems from the sin nature, the condemnation which weighs on every son of Adam.

If we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, then we leave our dead state in our trespasses, and we live in righteousness. (Romans 5: 17)

Remove the condemnation from our lives, and thus we enter the rest from trying to earn God's favor and blessings in our lives.

For a long time, I believed that if I did not get worked up about doing anything, then I would not do anything.

On the contrary, to the degree that we do not rest in the "Finished Work" of Jesus, to that extent do we suffer anguish in our minds, and thus we will find ourselves stuck in bed, and refuse to do nothing.

To the degree that we believe that Jesus Christ has taken care of everything in our lives, that He is actively working in and around us, then do we find that the grace to do and be and have all that God wants us to have explodes within us, and we go out and serve.

Jesus does not want anyone of us to labor in pain or frustration.

The Proverbs records that all labor is profitable:

"In all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty." (Proverbs 14: 23)

One of the last prayers in the New Testament declares God's love and wishes for us:

"2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

Grace and Truth are one in Christ (John 1: 17), and the more that we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, the more that we walk in truth, and thus we prosper in all that we do.

Do not live in shame because you have lived a slothful life. Rest from any sense of sin and shame, and the more that you understand God's grace in your life, you will be empowered to get out there and work.