June 16, 2026
Tuesday, June 16
Picture Solomon riding past a vineyard in his chariot, as depicted in Proverbs 24:30-34. Solomon called the owner of the field a sluggard, a man with no sense. Although Solomon had lived his entire life in a palace, he understood the wasted opportunity of this vineyard. For most of us today, a garden is a a hobby. We grow flowers to make our yard look better, or tomatoes to give away to friends. But a vineyard in that culture was a livelihood. If you owned a vineyard, it meant you didn’t have to beg or work for someone else. You could make something of yourself. It’s like owning a small business today.
Imagine the day the landowner acquired the land. The man must have been so proud. He probably had dreams of things he could do with the land; plans to plant a certain breed of grape, then when harvest time came, use the earnings to hire workers and expand. But somewhere along the way, the man got tired of the daily effort it took to maintain the vineyard. He said to himself, “This field isn’t going anywhere. I’ll focus on it later, when I feel up to it.” But what happens when you leave something untended? As we saw yesterday, entropy. The weeds grew up and overtook the tender little grapevines. The wall started to crumble, so that people and animals could trample all over that field.
We take so much care to guard against disasters. We install alarm systems to guard our homes against break-ins, purchase insurance to protect against fire and floods, and drive big SUVs so we’ll survive a car crash. But entropy is a far bigger danger than any calamity we can name. This man didn’t experience a sudden disaster. There was no plague of locusts or tornado that wrecked his land. His destruction came so slowly he didn’t even know it was happening. Sure, he saw those weeds popping up, but they didn’t look any bigger today than they were yesterday. And he was positive those cracks in the wall were there when he bought the place. But Solomon, an outside observer, could see what was really going on. That field, once a source of pride and hope, was now a silent testimony of failure. This man was close to losing the most valuable thing he owned. And he didn’t even know it.
Jesus famously warned us that it’s possible to gain the world, yet lose our soul (Matthew 16:26). Clearly, this applies to people who reject the Gospel. But could it also be a warning to doctrinally sound, baptized believers? I see many professing Christians who do only the bare minimum to nurture their relationship with God. Over time, a once vibrant faith becomes an act they perform on Sundays at 11. A sincere walk with Christ becomes hypocrisy. Prayers are rote, Scripture is ignored, and they live like everyone else.
Don’t judge them. Soul-entropy could happen to you as well…or me.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for the warning of this parable of the sluggard’s vineyard. If I am being lazy with my soul, please convict me of it. Show me the steps to take so I can walk with you again. In the name of your Son, Jesus, amen.
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
