To be idle is
not to be engaged in any productive process. Please see Proverbs Chapter 19
verse 15. God hates idleness because idleness is destructive (Ecclesiastes
Chapter 10 verse 18); idleness is equivalent to slothfulness and laziness which
always bring about destruction, in point of fact, is great destruction. Please
see also Proverbs Chapter 18 verse 9 and 1st Thessalonians Chapter 3
verses 10 to 13 where the Apostle Paul cautioned against idleness.
Furthermore, the
book of Proverbs Chapter 14 verse 23 throws ample light on forms of idleness
such as idle chatter, the kind of chatter that does not lead to spiritual,
physical and mental benefits; does not add to knowledge, does not bring in
income, does not add to spiritual and physical and even emotional well being.
Additionally, wandering from house in aimless visits with no productive purpose
behind the visits is wandering as the outcome of such visits is usually idle
chatter. Also, practitioners of such idleness end up as busy bodies rather than
productive fruitful people.
God hates
idleness. He engaged the idle laborers in productive processes by providing
employment opportunities to keep the idle people busy in productive processes.
These ones were idle because they were not hired to engage in productive
processes which explains why Jesus hired each one of them that were at the
market place; those in search of jobs. It is instructive to note that these
people were not idle people because if they were idle people who enjoyed being
idle, they would not have been at the market place, a place where people in
search of employment opportunities went to be hired. They were not deliberately
idle like the widows described in 1st Timothy Chapter 5 verse 16;
nor those who chose idleness and idle chatter as a way of life. Please read
Matthew Chapter 20 verses 1 to 7.
If you compare
the activities of the idle widows to that of the Apostle Paul who invested time
teaching and preaching the gospel; visiting people and the Churches he planted
for the purpose of imparting spiritual gifts so that the people would be established
in Christ Jesus. Please read Romans Chapter 1 verses 9 to 17.
If a person is
blessed with the gift of talk, that gift can be channeled into a talk show or
other talk engagement which bless humanity. Ms Oprah Winfrey, Rev. Martin
Luther King, Mr. Barrack Obama, former President of the United States of
America and many others are people who used talk to bless humanity and also
advance them in life. On the other hand, a person who loves visiting can head
visitation projects of ministries, non profits and even community development
projects of corporations targeted at people development and be productively
engaged thereby impacting lives positively through visits which in this case
have nothing to do with aimless wandering.
Widows can be
productively engaged. Ruth was and in the process remarried a wealthy man with
whom she raised children. The prophetess Anna was productively engaged in the
work of the kingdom and was rewarded with seeing and recognizing Jesus Christ
though Jesus was still a baby. The widow of the indebted prophet was
productively engaged raising capital to pay off the family debts and save money
to live on for the rest of their lives. Please read 2nd Kings Chapter 4 verses
1 to 7. The widow of Zarephath served the Prophet Elisha and was greatly
rewarded by God. Please read 1st Kings Chapter 17.
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