The Lazy Man

Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth. [Proverbs 19.24]

The arrangement of the OYB readings today is incredible. Solomon's prayer, Paul's resolve, the Psalms, and then this verse in Proverbs.

What amazes me the most is that so much of the time, I take the Word of God like the lazy man takes food: I have it in my hand, but don't even take it into my mouth. In other words, I carry my Bible around, talk about it, maybe even argue certain points of it that I grew up hearing ...but never actually "eat it" myself to savor the flavor - experience the texture - understand the nourishment (not by indoctrination, but by personal ingestion) - and, quite literally, feel the difference.

In my current line of work, I deal with oilfield drilling fluids. There is an enormous (even mind-numbing) amount of chemistry involved in this industry. Lab tests and trials are the norm. But what I see over and again is that no matter what the lab tests reveal, it is the actual field application that reveals the true performance of any given product.

So it is with God's Word. There is no end to the libraries of information about God - no end to the curricula available to explain the Bible - no end to the commentaries of educated scholars designed to prevent heresy ...but in the end, nothing reveals more about God's Word than for one to absorb it directly (and regularly) without predisposition and then live out what it provides.

Unfortunately, many can explain the Bible from a scholarly position (in the hand), but few can show God's Word from a life truly nourished by it (in the mouth).

Father, help me to not be the lazy man described in Proverbs today!