Busy for Self, Lazy for God

“One of the chief privileges of Gods people being international is to hear his Word taught with insights from cultures different from our ownand it is vitally important for our spiritual health that we listen. In recent years Ive come to know and hugely ad- mire Nam Joon Kim, a delightfully gentle, generous and godly man, and a truly remarkable Bible scholar who is deeply learned in Puritan reflections upon the Christian life. In Asia he is already regarded as a spiritual giant among Reformed Evangelicals but is relatively unknown in the West. So I am absolutely delighted that this wonderfully insightful reflection upon lessons from Proverbs about laziness is to be made available in English. I have massively enjoyed reading it, for it is peppered with fresh and memorable insights. At a time when many Western authors encourage us to rest sensibly, Nam Joon Kim brings us Gods wisdom for how to repent of worldly laziness and work passionately for the glory of God. I thoroughly recommend it!”

“In these days when self-indulgence is seen as a virtue, my good friend Dr. Nam Joon Kim shows us that the true way to honor and joy is diligently obeying Gods will for Gods glory. His practical meditations on Proverbs expose the ugliness of the sluggard. They also unveil how busy people may be surprisingly lazy in the things that matter most. A much-needed book for our day!”

“A church planter, professor, and, most of all, a faithful pastor, Nam Joon Kim is widely known and dearly beloved in Korea. The author of more than 50 books, he is oftentimes called the John Piper of Korea for his love of Jonathan Edwards, the Puritans, and much of the rest of the history of Christianity as well. This book is one of his best. In his typically godly manner, Kim exhorts us in these wonderful meditations on the Proverbs to shun laziness and spend our lives joyfully for God. This is a lesson Pastor Kim him- self learned through ardent struggle, and develops with humility. It is a lesson, I hasten to add, that needs to be heeded very closelyin the English-speaking world. I am eager to commend it whole- heartedly to you. I pray that God will use this book to wean your affections from the comforts of this world (as the Puritans used to say) and inspire you to diligence for Christ and his kingdom.”

“Honest and confronting, Rev. Kim unmasks laziness as a virus in- creasingly infecting Christianity. Yet, combining his pastoral and his scholarly qualities, Kim describes this virus in such a way that every reader will start fighting it long before he or she has finished reading this great book. I can only say with the words of Kims hero Augustine: take and read. And I would add: do so now.”

“My friend Nam Joon Kim is a leading reformer in Korea and be- yond. A Korean best-seller, this provocative book is finally available in English. I never knew how much Proverbs focused on laziness and self-love before reading this book. This is a very needed chal- lenge to us all in this age of comfort and affluence.”