Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. I want us to do three things. First of all, we're going to look at the relationship in the Bible between productivity and prosperity.
Secondly, we're going to define laziness or slothfulness and look at four characteristics of it. And then finally, we're going to talk about five practical ways to develop an attitude of productivity in your life. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress.
Everyone seems to be looking for the next get-rich-quick scheme or fast return on investment, but such financial endeavors can really only benefit us in the short term. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress encourages us to invest in eternity by maximizing the time, the talents, the resources, and opportunities that God has given to us. Now, here's our Bible, teachers. Here to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David. And welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Most publishers are running away from the magazine business.
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To sign up to receive Pathway magazine, go to ptv.org. And follow the simple instructions. Well, no country in the world is more productive, more hardworking than America. We are blessed with the heritage of men and women who have labored and toiled so that we can enjoy the fruit of their work. And we live in times when many are looking to be comfortable, not productive. grapple with this important topic.
I've written a book that goes into greater detail, along with 10 other subjects as well. While there's still time, you're invited to take advantage of this exclusive offer to receive a copy of my book, Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life, and it's yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. Now, we'll say more about my book and other resources later, but right now, let's give our complete attention to the study of God's Word with open hearts to what he wants to teach us today. I titled today's message, Choosing Productivity Over Laziness. In our series, Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life, and we're saying we don't get to choose our circumstances, we don't get to change our circumstances, but we can choose our response, our attitudes to the circumstances of life.
And one circumstance that we all in this room share together is this. God has given each one of us a limited amount of time, talents, resources, and opportunities, but we choose how we spend those gifts from God. One choice of an attitude is an attitude of productivity. Now, the best way to understand productivity, that is the attitude of maximizing your God-given gifts, the best way to understand that attitude is to look at its opposite, slothfulness, laziness. And the book of Proverbs has a wealth, pardon the pun, of information about slothfulness, about laziness.
Turn over to Proverbs chapter 24, verses 30 to 34. I passed by the field of the sluggard, the lazy person, and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. And when I saw, I reflected upon it.
I looked and I received instruction, and here's the instruction he received, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want, that is your need, like an armed man. How do you recognize a sluggard? Proverbs gives us four definite characteristics of a sluggard. Number one, the sluggard refuses to begin a job. The sluggard's motto is, never do today what you can postpone till tomorrow. Proverbs 26 verse 14 says, like the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed.
Turns back and forth and back and forth. He can never get himself out of bed. Secondly, the sluggard does not complete his work. He doesn't complete his work. Proverbs 12 27 says, a slothful man does not even roast his prey, but the precious possession of a man is diligence. I mean this guy is lazy. He goes to the effort of killing an animal for his meal that night, but he's too lazy to cook the animal, to cook his meal. And in the event that he does cook the meal, look at this Proverbs 19 24, the sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
That's lazy. Third characteristic of the sluggard, the sluggard ignores opportunities. He ignores opportunities. The problem with the sluggard in Proverbs 24 is not that he was sleeping, it's that he was sleeping at the wrong time. He was sleeping when he should have been preparing his vineyard for the harvest.
Preparing the ground and planting seeds so that when the harvest time came, there was something to harvest. But the sluggard doesn't do that. The sluggard, listen to this, the sluggard views opportunities as a train. Oh, there'll be another one in five minutes from now. If I miss this train, there'll be another one. If I miss this opportunity, there'll be another opportunity.
That's what the sluggard did. He said, oh well, I've got plenty of time to plant seed and till the land, and if I miss the planting time this year, there's always next year. But a wise person, a productive person understands how rare opportunities are.
A fourth characteristic of the sluggard is the sluggard craves riches. Now, he doesn't like work, but he likes the rewards of work. Well, he short circuits the work process by looking for a get rich quick scheme. Lazy people are always looking for a get rich quick scheme. By the way, Proverbs has something to say about that. Proverbs 28 verse 20, he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.
Do you know people like this? They're always looking for the big deal, the big deal. They're always talking, talking, talking about their next big deal, their next big deal. No effort, little money that's going to give them all of these riches. The key word is they talk about it.
They talk about it, but they never do anything. Proverbs 14 23 says, in all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Or Proverbs 28 verse 19, he who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.
May I share with you something I've observed as a pastor for 40 years now? Laziness is never compartmentalized. I've never found yet somebody who is lazy in his work, but also diligent in his relationship with God.
Never happens. If a person is lazy, that laziness infects every area of his life. Look at his home and the way he keeps his home, you see it. Look at his work, you see it. Look at his finances, they're in a mess. Look at his relationship with God.
Very little effort. He usually has become a victim, a slave to sin in his life. Laziness is never compartmentalized. One of the great historical examples of the result of slothfulness is found in the life of the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge was an English poet, but he had all kind of dreams of creating a utopian society in America that failed.
He was often charged with plagiarism. He became an addict to opium. William Barclay summarizes the slothfulness of Coleridge life. He writes, Samuel Coleridge is a supreme tragedy of indiscipline.
Never did so great a mind produce so little. He left Cambridge University to join the army. He left the army because he could not rub down a horse. He returned to Oxford and left without a degree.
He began a paper called The Watchman which lived for 10 issues and then died. It has been said of Coleridge, he lost himself to visions of work to be done that remained to be done. Coleridge has every gift but one, the gift of sustained and concentrated effort. Again, slothfulness is an attitude that is indifferent toward the talent, the time, the resources, the opportunities God has entrusted to us.
Slothfulness leads to a life of dissatisfaction and poverty in this life and the loss of rewards in the next life, according to Matthew 25. And maybe you're like the writer of Proverbs who walked through and saw that house in disrepair and said, I don't want to be like that guy who'd allow that to happen to his house. I want to be productive. I want to be different. How do you develop this attitude of productivity? Let me share with you five quick suggestions all rooted in Scripture to develop productivity in your life. Number one, clearly define your purpose in life. Clearly define your purpose in life. Now we're going to talk about this more next time when we talk about choosing purpose over aimlessness in life.
But let me just give you a preview. You know, having a clearly defined purpose, a purpose statement is like a beacon in the darkness that gives you direction about which way to go in your life. But a purpose statement also gives you the motivation to want to be productive. You know, if you don't know what you're doing or what your purpose is in life, why should you get up early or work hard or manage your money well? Purpose gives you the motivation to live a productive life. In Ephesians 5 verses 15 to 17, Paul says, Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
As one paraphrase says, firmly grasp what you know God's purpose for your life is. Secondly, to be productive, spend your time effectively. You know, really truly productive people don't measure time in decades or years or even months.
They measure time in terms of hours and even minutes. Valuing time is a biblical concept. In Psalm 90 verse 12, Moses wrote, Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may present to thee a heart of wisdom. One paraphrase says, Lord, let us know how short our time on earth is and help us to spend our days as we should. That's what he's talking about when he talks about productivity. James 4 14, James said, You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor.
Literally that word means a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Knowing how brief our existence is here on earth should cause us to manage time like a valuable commodity and make the most of our time. Charles Schwab was an American industrialist who was the president of Bethlehem Steel in the early 1900s. One day he called a well-known consultant, a man named Ivy Lee, and asked him to come to his office. He said, Mr. Lee, I need to be more productive with my time and if you'll help me learn how to become productive, more productive with my time, I'll pay you whatever fee you demand.
Ivy Lee said, Okay, here's my advice. Tonight, before you go to bed, take out a sheet of paper and write down the five things you need to accomplish tomorrow and then prioritize those things. Number one, two, three, four, and five. When you get to work tomorrow morning, start working on number one. Take as long as you need to to complete that and once you complete it, cross it off and go to number two and then to number three and so on. He said, Even if you don't make it all the way through your list, at least you will have spent your time working on the most important thing.
And then, the next day, pick up with whatever you left off with and make that number one and do the same thing and see what happens. Charles Schwab took that challenge. After a couple of weeks, he sent Ivy Lee a check for $25,000, a lot of money in the early 1900s. It had not only revolutionized his life, but he shared it with his workers within five years.
Bethlehem Steel became the largest producer of steel in the world. Now, that's something every one of us can do. It doesn't even cost you $25,000. Just tonight, before you go to bed, make that list of the five most important things. Prioritize it. That's your to-do list for the next day.
Start with number one until you've finished it and number two, three, four, and five. That's what it means to make good use of your time. Third, how do you build productivity into your life? Manage your financial resources according to God's plan. You know, in the Bible, there is a correlation between laziness and financial bondage, but there's also a link between a lack of productivity and financial bondage.
Here's why. People who are constantly enslaved by money worries, wondering how they're going to pay the rent that week, wondering how they're going to fend off a bill collector. When you are caught up in financial bondage, you do not have the freedom to pursue your God-given purpose in life. That's why God's plan for every Christian is not necessarily to be wealthy. That's not his plan, but his plan is for us to be financially free.
In fact, you may remember in my message or series, The Solomon Secrets, we talked about Solomon's ABCs to be financially free. When you follow God's principles about spending, about debt, about giving, and so forth, about saving, if you'll follow those principles, you'll be free to pursue your God-given purpose in life. That's why Paul said, owe no man anything except a debt of love.
In other words, don't be a slave to anything so that you can be free to serve God. If you don't have financial freedom, you will not have that freedom, but you'll be resigned to live a life, as Thoreau said, of quiet desperation. Our friend John Morgan, for more than 50 years, pastor of the Sagemont Baptist Church in Houston, has written and spoken a lot about the subject of biblical principles for finance, and he gives us seven warning signs, seven symptoms of being in financial bondage. Number one, when you charge daily expenditures because of a lack of funds. Number two, when you put off paying a bill due this month until next month. Number three, when you borrow to pay fixed expenses, such as taxes or insurance. Number four, when you have creditors calling or writing about past new bills. Number five, when you take money from savings to pay your current bills.
Number six, when you have less than three months expenses in an available account for emergencies. And number seven, when you find returning your tithe to God difficult. Number four, how do you develop a productive life? Discipline yourself for a productive life. Again, we have to be honest. Most of us have a little bit of laziness inside of us.
If given our way, we'll take the easy way instead the hard way. And so we need to discipline ourselves. 1 Corinthians 9 27, Paul said, I, Paul, buffet my body and make it my slave. By the way, that's not buffet my body. He said, I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly after I've preached to others I myself might be disqualified. Maybe you have trouble with this whole area of self-discipline in your life. How do you do that? How do you develop discipline to have a productive life?
I came across a most interesting article years ago by John MacArthur that really didn't have a lot to do with the Bible, but it was a great application of 1 Corinthians 9 27 about how to get out of a rut of slothfulness. If you're a lazy, unproductive person, where do you start? Listen to these tips, six of them very quickly. Number one, start small. Start with your room. Clean it. Then keep it clean. When something is out of place, train yourself to put it where it belongs. Then extend that discipline and neatness to the rest of your home. Secondly, be on time.
Now that may not sound very spiritual, but it's important. If you're supposed to be somewhere at a specific time, be there on time. Develop the ability to manage your activities and demands so that you can't arrive on time. Number three, do the hardest job first. Doing that will prevent the hardest jobs from being left undone. Number four, organize your life. Use a calendar and make a daily list of things you need to accomplish.
This is so key. If you don't control your time, everything and everyone else will. Number five, accept correction. Correction makes you more disciplined because it shows you what you need to avoid. Don't avoid criticism, accept it gladly. And then number six, practice self-denial. Learn, practice saying no to your feelings. Make it a habit to say no to at least one thing you want to do every day. Not because that thing is wrong or sinful, but just saying no to one thing you'd like to do, that extra piece of dessert, that extra TV show, or whatever it is, just saying no to it will remind your body who's really in charge. That is so important.
Practice self-denial. The final step for developing productivity is to make sure you define productivity correctly. Make sure you define productivity correctly. You know, if you ask the average Christian, how would you prioritize these issues in your life, your family, your work, your finances, and your relationship with God? Most every Christian would say, oh my relationship with God's number one, it's the most important.
But you wouldn't know that by looking at the person's calendar or where they spend their efforts or their money. Most of the time, let's admit it, God gets the leftovers of our life. The leftover time, the leftover money, the leftover energy, and rarely is there anything much left over in those areas of our life. What a tragedy it is to developing, develop productivity in your life, being focused on your life purpose, and then realize you neglected the most important thing in life, your relationship with God. You know, the Bible says, when that midnight cry comes and we're called home to be with the Lord, everything we've done will be left behind and every material possession will be burned up by fire. And that's why, as Jim Elliott said, the most profitable use of our life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.
Jesus said it this way in Matthew 16 26, what does it profit a person if he gained the whole world and forfeits his soul? Make sure you define productivity correctly. My hope is that today's message has inspired you to count your days and to ask God to help you remain productive for His purposes.
That will bring you the greatest level of satisfaction you can imagine. Today's message on choosing productivity over laziness is one of the 11 attitude choices I've addressed in my book, Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life, and I'd be happy to send a copy to your home today. Look, we don't get to choose the challenges that come our way, but we can choose our responses to them. And until we come to terms with our attitude, we'll never be ready to advance in our spiritual maturity. In my book, I'll come alongside you and address 11 different obstacles that keep you from experiencing God's best in your life.
And more importantly, I'll show you how a simple change in attitude will unleash a whole new season of joy and satisfaction. It begins with choosing things like faith over worry, humility over pride, and companionship over loneliness. This book would stimulate great conversation in your small group Bible study or your Sunday school class, and it's the perfect gift for a son or daughter as well.
Ask for a copy of Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life. It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to victory. As we close another week of studying the Bible together, let me assure you that your generous support is deeply needed and appreciated right now. Families across our country desperately need direction, and our nation is polarized and needs the guiding light of God's Word. So thank you for your generous gift, David.
Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. You know, a copy of Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life by Dr. Robert Jeffress is yours today when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Request your copy of this book by calling 866-999-2965, or online simply go to ptv.org. Now when your gift is $75 or more, you'll not only receive the book but also our current teaching series on CD and DVD, along with a group or individual study guide.
The series is also called Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life. Again, call 866-999-2965, or online go to ptv.org. We've got a simple address to write to, P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.
That's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, wishing you a great weekend. Then join us again next week for a message called, Choosing Purpose Over Aimlessness, right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Picture yourself relaxing aboard a luxury cruise ship as you sail the Mediterranean Sea on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise, May 5 through 16, 2025. This 11-day journey will take you to unforgettable destinations in Italy, Turkey, and Greece.
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