Do Not Love Sleep #1718

Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread. (Proverbs 20:13, NKJV)

Sleep is necessary for our minds and bodies to rest, repair and revitalize. As our Creator, it is obvious God knows this and made us this way. Today’s proverb does not warn against sleep, but against loving sleep. While sleep is beneficial, there are things we cannot do when we are asleep. We cannot work and earn a living, we cannot communicate with others, and we cannot be alert to potential dangers. We should view sleep as utilitarian, not utopian. It serves good and helpful purposes, but it is not an end in itself. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). He used the time He had to diligently do the Father’s will. Whether it is our daily jobs that provide food and sustenance for ourselves and our families, or our spiritual endeavors to walk in the good works God has prepared for us, we must open our eyes, get up out of bed, and get to work (1 Tim. 5:8; Eph. 2:10). When we do our part, God promises to do His (Matt. 6:25-34). Otherwise, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep— So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man” (Prov. 6:10-11).

“Many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep” #1711

30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:30–32, NKJV)

The spiritual condition of many of the Corinthian Christians was in jeopardy. The terms “weak,” “sick,” and “sleep” have spiritual (not physical) significance. These were without spiritual strength, some were spiritually ill, and some were already dead. (See John 11:11-13, where Jesus used “sleep” to mean Lazarus was dead.) We must judge our eating of the Lord’s supper in order to avoid such spiritual demise (which, by the way, shows Christians can indeed sin and be lost). This context shows we must judge our heart and our conduct in the Lord’s supper by using the Lord’s instructions about the supper (1 Cor. 11:23-26, 27-29). Such personal examination helps us avoid divine judgment, as well as condemnation with the world (v. 31, 32). Paul’s rebuke of their sin in this matter was the Lord’s discipline, to correct their error and preserve their souls. Eating the Lord’s supper is not a mindless ceremony. It is not a liturgical sacrament by which the mere partaking of it God grants sanctifying grace to the worshiper. It is a moment of solemn, proclamation and reverential remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Christians who turn it into anything else expose themselves to condemnation, not glory.

Appointed To Obtain Salvation, Not Wrath #1682

8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:8–11, NKJV)

Paul returns to soberness as he exhorts Christians (sons of light, sons of the day) to live so as to seize and preserve the salvation to which we have been appointed. It is necessary to protect ourselves from sin with faith, love and hope as we live for Him who died for us. Wrath is appointed for those who indulge themselves in the darkness of sin, choosing to reject the richness of God’s salvation for the futility of the flesh. Christians prepare for Christ’s return by living soberly. We are strengthened and comforted by the assurance of the eternal salvation to be obtained when Christ returns (2 Thess. 2:14; Heb. 10:39; 1 Pet. 1:6-9). You will never find comfort in the darkness of sin. Come out of your sin and live for Jesus. When He returns, Christians will live together with Him forevermore. If you are a faithful Christian, whether you are alive or dead on that day will make no difference. The difference will be whether you lived soberly in the light of truth and obtain salvation, or in the darkness of sin and obtain wrath.

“Do not love sleep” #1270

“Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.” (Proverbs 20:13, NKJV)

Wisdom teaches us we cannot recapture wasted time. Sleep is used to describe idleness and inaction. Lack of attention to our daily tasks brings want (Proverbs 6:6-11). Loving idleness squanders the precious commodity of time. Instead of laziness, we are urged to open our eyes, see the work set before us, and then get busy addressing it. The result will be food to eat, and the satisfaction of a job well done. Jesus reminds disciples to avoid idleness when He urged personal evangelism in John 4:35: “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” He used it again when He spoke of the urgency of doing the work of God in John 9:4: “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” You do not know how much time you have on the earth. So, use your time wisely, and enjoy temporal and eternal blessings (Ephesians 5:16).

Blessings of Labor #1085

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. (Ecclesiastes 5:12, NKJV)

There is nothing better than a good night’s sleep after a long day of hard work. Rest for the weary that refreshes the body and the mind, is among the blessings gained through labor. God has ordained labor to be a blessing, and we ought to be thankful that we can work with our hands. Work that is well done gives you a sense of accomplishment in providing for yourself and your family (1 Tim. 5:8). Additionally, working keeps your mind and body occupied with honorable things. Idleness easily leads to temptation and sin (2 Thess. 3:10-11). Work also helps us keep life in perspective. We work to provide for ourselves and our families, and also to help others who are in need (1 Thess. 4:11-12). Work becomes a taskmaster when we make increasing material wealth the reason for our labor. One day we will die, and the work of our hands will be left to another (Eccl. 2:17-23). So, we must keep life in perspective as we labor day by day. Enjoy good from your labor. Be thankful you can work, but do not be enslaved by it. Enjoy the blessings of labor; they are from the hand of God (Eccl. 2:24).