WORK WISDOM

Proverbs1  
10  My son, if  sinners entice  thee,  consent thou  not.  11  If they  say, Come with us,  let us  lay  wait  for blood, let us  lurk privily for  the  innocent without  cause:  12  Let  us swallow  them  up alive  as the  grave;  and whole, as  those  that  go  down into the  pit:  13  We shall  find all  precious  substance,  we  shall fill  our houses with spoil:  14  Cast  in thy  lot  among us; let  us all  have  one purse:  15  My  son, walk  not thou in the  way with them; refrain  thy  foot  from  their path:  16  For their  feet run to  evil, and make  haste  to shed blood. 17  Surely in vain  the net  is spread in the sight of  any bird.  18  And they  lay  wait  for their own  blood; they lurk privily for their own  lives.  19  So  are the ways  of  every one that  is  greedy of  gain;  which  taketh  away the life of  the owners thereof.

If  you are seeking  after  riches, they  will take  away your life.  Seeking  riches  will  rob your life  like  robbers that  lie  in wait  to shed blood.  Many  of  us claim  that we want  to  prosper to support  the gospel  but the truth  is our focus is gain.  It  is all about  money and riches. We are supposed to be  seeking  God,  not  money  or  blessings.  

Proverbs6
6  Go to  the  ant, thou  sluggard; consider  her ways, and be wise:
There is  a lesson we  can learn from  the ant. The  ant  has  wisdom  to  offer us. if  we observe this  about  the ant we  shall  have wisdom.

7  Which  having no  guide,  overseer, or ruler,  8  Provideth  her  meat  in  the summer, and gathereth  her  food in the harvest.
The  wisdom  that we  can  from  the ant is  simply this,  Work hard. 
The ant  doesn’t  need  a  boss or supervisor to  force  it  to  work.  It  doesn’t  need  external motivation.  The  ant  is  self-motivated  (selfdriven).  It  works hard in summer  to provide food and  then during  harvest gathers  its reward.

9  How long wilt  thou  sleep,  O sluggard?  when  wilt  thou arise out  of  thy sleep?  10  Yet  a little sleep, a  little slumber,  a  little  folding  of  the hands to  sleep:  11  So shall  thy poverty come  as one that  travelleth, and  thy want as  an armed  man.
Many people  are poor because they  are  lazy. They  won’t  work.  We all  are  lazy  after the flesh. That’s why we must  be disciplined and  diligent  to  get  up  and  work.
This is why  school s valuable. It  teaches  us discipline and  diligence.  It teaches  us to  get  up early. It  teaches  us to  work hard.  You may  not  benefit from  the subjects you  are studying but  you benefit  from  the discipline and training that  school gives you.

Proverbs10
2  Treasures of wickedness  profit nothing: but  righteousness  delivereth from  death.
Prospering through  wickedness  isn’t profitable.  It damages you.  Cooking  the  books to get  ahead, embezzlement, corruption, white  collar crime,  drugs,  evil  music  and other entertainment.  All of this  isn’t profitable. You gain  finances but lose your soul.

3  The  LORD  will not suffer  the  soul of  the  righteous  to famish:  but  he casteth away the  substance of  the wicked.  4  He  becometh  poor that  dealeth with  a  slack  hand: but the  hand of the  diligent maketh  rich.
To deal with  a slack  hand is  to  be lazy.  If  you are lazy you will  be poor. Lazy leads to poor.

5  He that gathereth in summer is a wise  son: but  he that  sleepeth  in harvest is a son that  causeth  shame.
It  is one  thing  to  be lazy  and not  work, but  it  is another to  work  and then  sleep during  harvest  time. It  is the epitome of foolishness. After  putting  in  all the  labor of planting  and taking care of  the crop, harvest time  reaches  and you are  sleeping and  not  bothered to  go  harvest the  fruit  of your hard  labor.

We do  this  many times  when  we  fail to  seize  the  opportunities  and fortune that  comes our  way.  When we have worked hard and  opportunities for increase,  for promotion, for advancement come  but we are too  consumed with living  life and  doing  our own thing  that  we  aren’t ready  to  take them.  This happens  a lot especially in ministry.

“The slothful man roasteth  not that  which he  took  in hunting: but  the substance  of a diligent  man is precious.”  Pro12:27
A lazy man  doesn’t even  bother  to  roast and  preserve what  they took  in hunting.  They just  let  it  rot and spoil.  And  then  they will have to go  back  and  hunt again earlier  than they should.  

We do  this a lot  when  we  fail to steward  what we have. When  we earn money  and fail to  steward it,  to keep it, to  invest it, we are  like  this slothful man  that hunts  and leaves  his meat to  spoil because he  is too  bothered  to  roast  it. Thus we  end  up in  lack sooner rather than later and have to work  twice  as hard  in  order  to  keep poverty away.
We  work long  hours, multiple  jobs, and unpleasant jobs  simply because we have no  stewardship skills and all  our money  is  being consumed.  Work becomes a  treadmill.  Running  very  hard  but going nowhere.

“Wealth  gotten  by vanity shall be diminished:  but  he that gathereth by  labour  shall increase”  Prov13:11

If  you get rich overnight,  in vain things,  by vain wicked means it  will diminish.  The  person that prospers by betting, by  winning  the lottery or some get  rich quick  scheme where  you  put  it  very little money, sit home and reap very handsome  profits  at the end of  the  week or  month  will not  increase in  the  long term.   The person that gathers by  labor, by hard smart work  will increase. Work  hard  and work smart and  you will increase  inevitably.  

God’s way is  little  by  little.  This  provides us with  the opportunity to  develop  in  stewardship,  character and  integrity  as  we  increase.  Remember  that  money  is a test.  As  you are  tested  and  you  pass the test you increase.   Money will test your faithfulness and  character and  integrity  and temperance.  Whether you  will become proud or stay  humble, whether  you  will stay focused  or lose focus, whether you  will  stay  honest or become  a  crook, whether you will  stay  contented  or  become  greedy. All these  are tests  that  money  will give you.

“In all labour  there  is  profit: but the  talk of  the  lips tendeth  only  to  penury.”  Prov14:23

All labor is profitable.  It  is  profitable to  work anything.  As long  as  it  adds  value to  others and  to  you. Even when people  don’t  pay you, God will make  sure  that  you profit from  that labor.  It  may  be house work and chores for  a house wife, school work, homework,  volunteering  etc.  as  long  as it  is labor, you will profit  from  it.

School work  may not  benefit  you  in terms of  what  you  are  studying  but  the  discipline and  diligence it takes to  get it  done and to  pass well will  benefit you in future.  School teaches  you respect  and honor, commitment,  diligence,  discipline, time  keeping,  hard  work, endurance,  civility  etc.

Proverbs24
30  I went by  the  field  of the  slothful, and by  the  vineyard  of the man  void of  understanding;  31  And, lo, it was all grown over with  thorns, and nettles had covered  the  face  thereof, and the stone  wall  thereof  was broken down.

These are  they who are  lazy and  the ones  always hanging out.  Their life  is about having  fun. They will be poor.  They  are not  concerned  about their garden. They have  a job but they  don’t care. They  go  when they  want, they do a  poor job, and they  have a bad  attitude. Such  people  will be poor.

32  Then I  saw, and considered  it  well: I looked upon  it, and  received instruction.  33  Yet a  little  sleep, a little  slumber, a  little  folding of the  hands to  sleep:  34  So shall  thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want  as  an armed  man.

Enjoying  life and having  fun is not  bad. But  if you  do  it  at  the expense of  work and productivity don’t  be surprised when  you are  fired, when you  lose customers,  when  your wife or  husband leaves.  Negligence and a lack  of  diligence will  cause loss. Your poverty will have come upon you as  a robber.

Proverbs28
19  He that tilleth  his land shall have plenty of  bread: but  he that  followeth  after  vain persons  shall have poverty  enough.

One  of  the reasons poor people are  poor  is  because  they hang  with vain people  and with  poor people.  If you hang  around  losers  you are going to  be  a loser.  The  only  influence  you will  have will  be poverty. Vain people  spend  all their  time going  out, having  fun and  enjoying  life.  They  devote  very little time to productivity.  That is  why they are poor.

20  A faithful  man shall abound with  blessings: but he  that  maketh haste to be  rich shall  not  be  innocent.

A person  that  is faithful will abound  with blessings.  A  person that is a faithful  and diligent  steward will grow  richer.  God’s  kind of  prosperity comes by  labor,  by  work,  by  diligence. If  you labor  you  develop character and virtue. You  prosper holistically.

Those that  try to  be  rich  quickly  will not  be  innocent.  Get  rich quick schemes are not  godly and hastening to become  rich  will lead  you into  unrighteous actions. You will  compromise some  way  or  the other. Either you will lie, steal,  embezzle,  kill  someone, bribe someone  or do  something.  But  you  will  not  be innocent.

21  To have respect  of  persons is not  good: for for  a piece of  bread  that man  will transgress.22  He that hasteth to  be rich  hath an  evil  eye,  and considereth  not that  poverty shall come  upon  him.

A person who  hastens  to  be  rich will transgress. They will  develop  greed  and  the love of money will dominate  them  and  eventually they end up in  poverty.  They make have material riches  but  a poverty  of life, peace,  joy, good relationships, loving  family  etc.

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