Who are you mimicking? Who do you have as role-model? Paul said ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV). And if we claim to admire Jesus’ disciples, we have to remember that these were people who spent themselves on spreading the kingdom of God, just the same when they were in good times or under threat. Where most of us would’ve fallen back on ‘Help, Lord!’ prayers, they didn’t sit under persecution; they rose above it and prayed for boldness to keep spreading the gospel. Who you follow sets the bar for who you can become. If there are lazy people in your circles, you’ll have to know how to respond to them so you can avoid being shaped by them. Solomon said a lazy person was as irritating as smoke in the eyes (take a look at Proverbs 10:26). What they do takes twice as long to finish, and then either has to be re-done or thrown out. Their presence on the job can be worse than their absence. Proverbs 24:30-31 shows the devastating cost of mimicking lazy people: ‘I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down’ (NLT). That’s the future if you follow lazy people. Let’s be clear though, we must show compassion toward those who are down and out for legitimate reasons. But for those who are lazy just to avoid work: avoid mimicking them at all costs. You don’t want them to be your role-model.

What now?

The Bible is full of examples of God appealing to His people to ‘go’ – to get out into the world, save the lost, and redeem the culture. Is there something that’s prevented you from going? What might it be?