Welcome to the Further Gospel Podcast where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kosti Hinn, and I want to kick us off with a new series on work ethic because laziness is something that everyone struggles with in various ways. And I want to empower you to live a productive and proactive life for the glory of God. If you're a newer listener and you're getting more familiar with our ministry and you want to think about God's will on this topic and many others, I do want to remind you that I wrote a book this past year titled Walking in God's Will. And it's all about demystifying God's plan for your life and helping you make decisions with confidence. And so that book's available on For the Gospels website. It's available on Amazon, Barnes Nobles, wherever books are sold. But I want to remind you from time to time there are books and there are resources available to you. Maybe you have a question. We also have a lot of these types of resources available for free through the podcast. If you want to listen to it teaching-wise, uh, or if you prefer to read or dig in, the book's available as well on audio. I read it. So if you can uh tolerate my voice, not only for a podcast, but for an audiobook, it's on there and then the Kindle version as well. Now, on to our topic. In 1914, there was an Antarctic explorer. His name was Ernest Shackleton, and he set out on what would become one of the most grueling survival journeys in history. His ship, the endurance, became trapped and was eventually crushed in ice. Now, he stranded in one of the most harsh environments on the earth, and he had one goal keep my men alive. That's what his goal was. And here's what's fascinating when you study, research, or read the book about Shackleton's journey. He enforced strict daily routines for his men, even though they were trying just to survive. I find that so fascinating. But what he knew is what you and I need to understand: daily chores, assigned responsibilities, movement, work, and purpose are the keys to thriving in life. Shackleton knew something that we often forget: idleness in extreme conditions will not preserve your life. It destroys it. Men who sat around, disengaged or passive, they began to deteriorate mentally, emotionally, even physically in Shackleton's crew. But those who stayed active and disciplined and engaged had a far greater chance of survival. Here's the reality: you are not stranded on Antarctic ice, nor am I. But laziness is just as dangerous to your life. It is just as dangerous to mine, not only physically, of course, for the body, but I'm talking spiritually and relationally and eternally, all the things that matter to you and I as Christians, all the things that we want to focus on here for the gospel. So let me just show you this clearly from scripture. I've made some notes. I'm going to walk you through some key passages and key truths and give you three perils of laziness that you need to understand if you're going to live a faithful, God-honoring life. Peril number one: laziness leads to decline. Laziness leads to decline. There's a proverb, it's Proverb chapter 24, verses 30 to 34. You can read it on your screen, but it basically says in summary, I passed by the field of the sluggard, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles. The picture in that proverb is vivid. It's not a sudden destruction, it's slow neglect, okay? I think that's often what we think is just gonna, you know, I'm not lazy, look at what's happening. Nothing's declining, look at what I'm doing. No, no, no. For something to be overgrown, it takes time. That is slow neglect. The Hebrew idea behind the word sluggard that's used often in the Proverbs is pointing to someone who is habitually inactive. They're not unable, they're not disabled, they're flat out unwilling. And this guy's field doesn't collapse overnight. It decays little by little. I think of Proverbs 6, verses 10 and 11, a little sleep, a little slumber, says a little folding of the hands, and your poverty will come in like a vagabond, like a thief. Your laziness is going to steal from you. You notice the language in the Proverbs, just a little at a time, oh, just a little of this, oh, just a little of that. Because laziness doesn't often look like rebellion. What it looks like is small compromises over time. Oh, just a little bit will harm you. That's how it works in your life. You don't wake up one day and just figure out, oh, my marriage is cold, that's just today. I guess that's just what happened overnight. No, you drift there. You don't suddenly become spiritually weak. You neglect the word, you skip over prayer time, you disengage with the church, and you slowly decline. And laziness is involved in all of that. It's dangerous because it's subtle. I had a leadership mentor who once said to me, You rarely ruin your life, Costi, in one big decision. You drift into ruin slowly through a thousand small decisions. And so ask yourself, where are you neglecting your responsibility? What small patterns in your life are leading you towards decline? Because what you ignore today is going to grow into a major problem tomorrow. Peril number two, laziness burdens others. Proverbs 18, verse 9 says, He who is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys. What is the word of God saying? It's joining laziness with destruction. That's strong. Now, why does the Bible do that? Because laziness never stays isolated. It spreads. It's like a virus, and it begins to cost others. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, Paul is explaining that if anyone is not willing to work, they don't eat. He says, For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life. Notice Paul, again, not dealing with inability, not dealing with a guy who's out there on the job search, not dealing with somebody who's disabled. He's addressing unwillingness. So let's be real here. When a man is lazy, his wife will carry more weight, his kids will lack stability, his coworkers will pick up the slack. The church itself loses a servant. I want you to understand something here. And yes, I know I'm a pastor, so I'm biased, but hey, you and I were brothers and sisters in Christ. We're all in the ministry. I just happen to be vocational in it. But understand this we as Christians are not just focused on our jobs, our money, our boards, our income, our family. We are a church family as well. When you are lazy or I am lazy, we actually affect the body of Christ. If you're a hand and you're a lazy hand, well, you're affecting the body. If you're a lazy neck, well, then that's going to affect the head. If I'm a lazy pastor, if I don't put in the work to prepare sermons, well, I don't have anything to feed the sheep. And so we need to actually see our laziness as a corporate issue. Now, for some of you, look, that might be the motivator. You're a social person, you're a team player, and you go, wow, I never thought of that. For others, you might think, wow, I feel so guilty and ashamed. You're just letting everybody down. You're just piling on costly. No, no, hear me. View it through a balanced lens. We are a body. It is what you and I do. We operate. Yeah, maybe you are letting some folks down. Yeah, maybe you are ignoring and abandoning the calling God has given you. Maybe you are being selfish because in your laziness, you're actually withholding the beautiful gift that God has given you, and you were meant to use it to strengthen the body of Christ. For you who are men, this is about your leadership. Your home rises and falls on your faithfulness. And so you got to ask yourself, where am I forcing others to carry what God has called me to carry? Where am I just piling it onto my wife? Where am I absent, passive, or disengaged? For you sisters, your women, this is about your stewardship. Your home is a part of what God has called you to and to steward it for his glory. Proverbs 14:1 says the wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands. And so I want you to ask yourself, where am I building up my home? And by the conviction of the Spirit, where am I tearing it down? Peril number three, laziness reveals a heart problem. That's what all this is about. It's a heart issue. That's where we go deeper. Laziness is not just about time management, it's spiritual. Something is happening in your heart. Proverbs 26, 14 says, as the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed. It just movement without progress. You're just rolling over to be lazy again and rolling over, going here to be lazy again. It's activity without any purpose. But, brother and sister, this is the opposite of what we've been called to. Colossians 3.23, one of my favorite passages in college and beyond, whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart as working for the Lord and not for man. The translation perhaps that you have says, do your work heartily. Work is not ultimately about your job. It's not about making money. It's not about being somebody. It is about worship. We do all that we do as unto the Lord. That phrase right there reminds us it's all worship. So when we're lazy, nope, you're not just avoiding a task. You're not just punting. You're not procrastinating. You and I, we're actually dishonoring God. And that should pierce our hearts. Laziness is not rest. Okay. I did a series on that. We did an episode on that. We've talked about rest and the importance of it. I hope you've listened to that. If you haven't, you just go back to the Christian Liberty series and go look at what God's call is and his invitation to recreation and rest and enjoyment of life. Oh, yes, and I absolutely. Yes and amen. But we can't call laziness self-care or well, it's just how I am. I'm kind of a lazy guy, I'm kind of a mellow guy. No, no, no. It is often one of three things. It is either a lack of discipline, a love of comfort, or a failure to see God as worthy of your best effort. Laziness basically reveals what you and I value. So ask yourself, do I see my work as worship? If you know your why and if it's rooted in worship, oh, you're going to be firing on all cylinders. Not perfectly, but very progressively. And also you need to ask, do I give God my best or my leftovers? Am I just punting and kicking the can down the road? Let me leave you with this. We are living in a culture that is discipling you to be comfortable. Everything is designed to make life easier. Faster food, easier entertainment, endless doom scrolling, minimal effort. And if you and I aren't careful, we will drift into a life that requires nothing from us and it produces nothing from us. That's not the call of Christ. This generation that you and I are living in and working in and getting after it in do not need more shortcuts. We need men and women who lock in. They lock in when it's boring. They lock in when it's hard. They lock in when it's a process. They lock in when no one's watching. Because faithfulness is not built on hype and what everybody sees and everyone's singing your praises. No, it's built on daily, basic, even mundane obedience. You're just going to get after it because you're getting after it for the glory of God. And you know your Father sees you. So stop drifting if that's you. Stop coasting, stop making excuses, and by God's grace, get up, get after it, and get to work. And remember the gospel in all your labors, okay? Like Christ, like the apostles, like many who have gone before us. I love what Paul the Apostle said. He said, It was only by God's grace, but I worked harder than them all. Yeah. The grace of God doesn't invite us into laziness. No, the grace of God fires you up. It trains you to live a life of discipline. It invites you into that because you go with confidence, knowing Christ is in you, the hope of glory, the Holy Spirit has gifted you. Go forth in his grace and put your hands to the plow and expect that God will bear much fruit through your faithfulness in whatever he's called you to do today. I hope this first episode in this series on work and getting after it has spurred you on. We're just getting started, and I can't wait to dig in next time with you. Thanks as always for watching. Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting. But above all else, thank you for praying for our ministry. This year we've been asking God to transform hearts through for the gospel's resources and to bring more gospel patrons into the ministry and valued partners to help advance the mission. And I want you to know that he's been answering both of those prayers every single month. If that's you, if you're somebody who's partnered with us in this new year, thank you so much. If you're somebody who's been partnering with us for years now, as we go on our fourth and fifth year of doing this together, thank you. Your gifts matter. And if you're somebody who's been praying about your stewardship and above and beyond, of course, your local church priority, you believe for the gospel to be a ministry worthy of your stewardship and your partnership, we would count it a privilege to partner with you in that way. And so if you want more information, go to our website, go to the give page. There's impact reports, there's opportunities to give monthly or one time. And if you are one of our gospel patrons, you will be getting monthly impact reports as well as other wonderful opportunities to connect. I'm so thankful on behalf of our staff, our board, our entire team. Thank you for your support. I can't wait to keep going together. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel, you can't see the event.