The Downward Spiral of Laziness: One Year Bible Reading for July 17

 Today we read from these verses in the One Year Bible:

1 Chronicles 24:1-26:11
Romans 4:1-12
Psalm 13:1-6
Proverbs 19:15-16

Let's look at the Proverb. It says "Laziness brings on deep sleep." And that can mean many things, but the one that occurs to me is the downward spiral.

See, being lazy and not exercising and eating junk food and sitting at home watching TV all day will do great harm to you and your life. Now, I don't mean don't ever watch TV or eat junk food. I don't mean don't ever take a day off from working out to rest. What I DO mean is don't get in the habit of being lazy. It brings on "deep sleep", which (in this interpretation) means getting sluggish and tired and not wanting to do anything. The more you act lazy and eat junk and mindlessly watch TV, the more you will want to do those things. The more you will NOT want to work out, eat healthy, and be productive. It's the downward spiral. And it's terrible! It makes you foggy in your thinking. It means you don't sleep well. It means you never have any energy. You gain weight and look terrible and lose self respect. It's a sad state, and many people (especially Americans) find themselves falling down into this downward spiral. 

But thank goodness there is also an UPWARD spiral! Work out every day. Eat healthy. Take vitamins. Pray. Find something creative that you enjoy doing. You will sleep better. You will crave healthy food. You will WANT to workout. You become more fit and look better and your self respect rises. Your life will spiral up.

God, thanks for teaching us to avoid the downward spiral and seek the upward one.