“Because of laziness, the timberwork sags; because the hands are idle, the house is leaky.”

(Ecclesiastes 10:18)

The practical observation is obvious. A wise man makes sure that his hands are busy and that he takes care of his house. When my wife and I first got married, we bought an old farm house that had been built back in 1905. In many ways, it was a great starter-home, but it was old and needed a lot of work. Floor joists sagged under the weight of the second floor and while the slate roof never leaked when it rained, when it snowed and the wind was blowing just right, it would blow snow into the attic (so, I had to shovel out the attic as well as the walk!).

Yet, once again, we see a spiritual application. The lazy man does not feed his soul with the word of God. And when one is idle in spiritual matters, it is not a building that falls down, it is the life of a person. Woe to the one who ignores the state of his own soul and then wonders why pagan and sinful ideas infiltrate the life. 

Loved ones, set the Word of God before you like a lamp and examine all of life in its light. Do not compromise the Scriptures for the sake of expediency or pragmatism and do not let anyone in your life intimidate you into letting this word be put to the side. Do not let sloth ruin your house — your personal life or your church — but let the Word of God build both up to be strong and mighty so no matter what the storms of life may bring, both may stand strong and not yield to leaks.