Proverbs 20:4 "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing."
We all remember the story of the little Red Hen. She found some wheat and asked
all her friends to help her plant it. They all had one excuse or another as to
why they just couldn't help. But when it came time to eat the bread, they were
all available to help her eat it. She ate all the bread by herself but gave
them another opportunity at the next growing season. They had learned their
lesson. We know that's a fable, but let's listen to what Jesus had to say about
finding excuses. He told of a certain man who made a great supper and invited
his friends to come. "And they all with one consent began to make
excuse." They all missed a great blessing because of their various
excuses.
Solomon is speaking today of a man who said it was too cold to plow. "I
can't go into the field today, it's so cold. I want to stay by the warm fire.
I'll go tomorrow." As we look at the last part of the verse, we can see
that his "tomorrow" never arrived. It wasn't because he died. No, his
tomorrow never came because he found excuse after excuse for not going to the
field to plow. So what happened in the harvest season? He begged. What did he
receive? "Nothing." I often jokingly say that I am going to
join the "Procrastinator's Club" - tomorrow. It is so easy to
put off those things which we really do not enjoy doing, and even at times we
put off those things which are enjoyable. We don't even know if we have a
tomorrow or not.
I will quote one more writer concerning this subject.
"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city,
and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: (14)
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is
even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
(15) For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and
do this, or that." (James 4:13-15)