Get With It!

Synopsis: Proverbs reminds us that motivation is a holy thing; it is a state of being that will energize you to do the hard—but right—thing. And, as we see throughout Proverbs, the Lord highly values and honors it. One of my favorite motivational gurus, the late Zig Ziglar, said, “Motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.” I agree: Just do it already! And Walt Disney gave us some free advice that we would do will to apply to our own lives: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” So, what is one area in your life in which you would need up your motivation game? Identify it, and my friend, just get after it! Again, quit talking and do it already!

Moments With God // Proverbs 26:13-15

Loafers say, “It’s dangerous out there! Tigers are prowling the streets!” and then pull the covers back over their heads. Just as a door turns on its hinges, so a lazybones turns back over in bed. A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie, but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.

Motivation! It is one of the major themes in Proverbs—praising those who have it and admonishing those who do not. Proverbs does not offer an intricate explanation for why people are not motivated, or a detailed plan for how they can get motivated. It just says they need to build a fire in their life and get with it.

Speaking of motivation, I love the story of the guy who worked the swing shift in a factory, and every night when he walked home from work after dark, he would go a great distance out of the way just to avoid a cemetery that was smack dab in the middle of his route. One night, wanting to save some time, he worked up the courage to walk through the graveyard>. Well, lo and behold, it wasn’t so bad after all! So, he started walking right through the cemetery every day, to and from work.

However, on one of his walks home, a fresh grave had been dug right in the path he now walked by habit, and he fell into a deep, dark, damp open grave. For some time he scratched and clawed trying to climb out called—to no avail—so he then started calling out for help, but it became apparent that he was going to get neither help nor out of his tomb. So, he sank down into the bottom of this pit, pulled his coat up around his ears and prepared for a long night until the grave diggers came the next morning and could help him out.

After some time had passed, another man came down the same path, and he too, fell into the open grave. The first guy just sat there with a smile on his face watching this second guy, who was so preoccupied with getting out that he didn’t notice the first guy.

After a while, the second guy grew tired and he, too, gave up his clawing and scratching and yelling and sank down into the bottom of the grave. At that point, the first guy said, “You’ll never get out of here, boy!” Guess what? On hearing that eerie, disembodied voice from the other end of the grave, the second guy did! The disembodied voice from the grave was all the motivation he needed—and he was out in about two ticks.

Proverbs reminds us that motivation is a holy thing; it is a state of being that will energize you to do the hard—but right—thing. And, as we see throughout Proverbs, the Lord highly values and honors it. Consider these verses from this book of practical wisdom:

The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. (Prov 13:4)

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Prov 14:23)

The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway. (Prov 15:19)

Speaking of motivation, one of my favorite motivational gurus, the late Zig Ziglar, said, “Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.” I agree: Just do it already! And Walt Disney gave us some free advice that we would do will to apply to our own lives: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

So, quit talking and do it already!

Now if you are a committed Christ-follower, and if you are motivated, God has promised honor to you. If you are not, however, then you will get no psychological explanation or motivational pep talk from the Bible—only a swift kick to the seat of the pants and a warning: Get with it or get left in the dust of those in life who are motivated.

So, get with it already! God stands ready to bless you!