All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. ~Proverbs
14:23
If you work your land you will have abundant food, but the one who chooses phantasies will have their fill of poverty. ~Proverbs 28:19
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. ~Ephesians 4:28
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value. But godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ~1 Timothy 4:7-8
This proverb brings to mind the classic dreamer who has his head in the clouds. He boasts of what he can do, or what he knows, but never lifts a finger to help. He or she is a person of many words, and little action. We tire of being around them quickly because they are pretty self-absorbed and seem to just, kind of suck the air out of the room. They seem to have advice to solve every problem, but they’ve never taken that advice to do so.
Isn’t it interesting that that type of person was around in Solomon’s day too? It’s good to dream. It’s good to be inspired. Those who are creative among us are a blessing. They consider the possibilities and we benefit from their imaginations. However, even the creative person needs to eat. Dreaming can be good. But work also has its benefits.
Work teaches discipline. Work is also necessary to bring dreams to reality. Work moves the dream from the heart into the mind and out into the hands and feet where it can be shared. It is good that there are dreamers among us. But thank the Lord for those who will do the work.
Of course, when I mention work, our minds may immediately go to farmers and builders; those who do physical labor. Medical personnel and first responders also come quickly to mind. It is all hard work. While the profit could mean a paycheck, there is also the satisfaction of a job well done. However, physical labor, in the seen world, is not the only work that brings a profit.
Consider the work for the Kingdom in the unseen world. The profit for workers in that realm is eternal, with benefits beyond this life. Jesus Himself said: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matt. 9:38) There is no doubt about it, sharing our faith can often be work, but when the result is a person turning to Christ, at least partly due to our labor, even the angels celebrate that soul gained for eternity.
Sadly, there are too many Sunday school classes and Bible studies that are full of dreamers and talkers. They swap their opinions about what was meant in such and such a passage and speculate on whether the commentator they are referring to got it right after all. Sometimes these gatherings are referred to as “S.Y.I.” or “Swap your ignorance,” meetings because they aren’t really basing their opinion on what the Bible is truly saying, but their opinion is based more on what they are comfortable believing.
They are similar to the myths and old wives’ tales that Paul warns against. These attenders know a lot and talk a lot. They know what they are supposed to do, but the majority will never attempt to share their faith with someone who needs to know. They are interested in sharing their own opinions. But there is very little interest in actually doing the work of evangelism.
Surveys show that in America, as much as 95% of people who identify as Christian, do not share the gospel with unbelievers. They have a lot of justifications and excuses, but they are mostly like the one in the Proverbs of whom Solomon says, “mere talk leads only to poverty.” They are poor in the things of Christ.
Then there are the ones who chase fantasies. They study program after program to learn how to share their faith, hoping that this next one has the magic bullet that can’t be argued against, insulating the one sharing from the possibility of ridicule and rejection. They’ve studied them all, but have discovered that none of them claim to be fool proof, so they put the curriculum on the shelf and go back to their daily lives and keep their faith to themselves, believing that they are staying safe.
What they don’t realize is how poor they are in Christ. Rick Warren has said: “Jesus never called us to be successful, but obedient.” It’s not up to us to save anyone. In truth, we can’t do it, so if we think that it’s our job to save someone, we need to forget it because we can’t do it. Jesus does the saving. Our job, in obedience to Christ is to share and when we find someone we can help to grow, it’s our job to help them become a disciple of Christ. Work for the Kingdom is our obedience to Christ. The profit, or reward, is in His hand and Solomon says that: “All hard work brings a profit.” How much more so when that profit is in Heaven.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, you did an amazing work on our behalf, to save us from sin and hell! Now all you ask us to do is talk about it. The work involved is the passion to care for the lost and the courage to approach them with our good news. It takes courage because we know people resist. Our fear of rejection makes us afraid we will end the relationship and lose our chances. But Father, we love You and we should do this work for You! Let that give us courage. Holy Spirit, help! In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: The Mission
If you work your land you will have abundant food, but the one who chooses phantasies will have their fill of poverty. ~Proverbs 28:19
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. ~Ephesians 4:28
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value. But godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ~1 Timothy 4:7-8
This proverb brings to mind the classic dreamer who has his head in the clouds. He boasts of what he can do, or what he knows, but never lifts a finger to help. He or she is a person of many words, and little action. We tire of being around them quickly because they are pretty self-absorbed and seem to just, kind of suck the air out of the room. They seem to have advice to solve every problem, but they’ve never taken that advice to do so.
Isn’t it interesting that that type of person was around in Solomon’s day too? It’s good to dream. It’s good to be inspired. Those who are creative among us are a blessing. They consider the possibilities and we benefit from their imaginations. However, even the creative person needs to eat. Dreaming can be good. But work also has its benefits.
Work teaches discipline. Work is also necessary to bring dreams to reality. Work moves the dream from the heart into the mind and out into the hands and feet where it can be shared. It is good that there are dreamers among us. But thank the Lord for those who will do the work.
Of course, when I mention work, our minds may immediately go to farmers and builders; those who do physical labor. Medical personnel and first responders also come quickly to mind. It is all hard work. While the profit could mean a paycheck, there is also the satisfaction of a job well done. However, physical labor, in the seen world, is not the only work that brings a profit.
Consider the work for the Kingdom in the unseen world. The profit for workers in that realm is eternal, with benefits beyond this life. Jesus Himself said: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matt. 9:38) There is no doubt about it, sharing our faith can often be work, but when the result is a person turning to Christ, at least partly due to our labor, even the angels celebrate that soul gained for eternity.
Sadly, there are too many Sunday school classes and Bible studies that are full of dreamers and talkers. They swap their opinions about what was meant in such and such a passage and speculate on whether the commentator they are referring to got it right after all. Sometimes these gatherings are referred to as “S.Y.I.” or “Swap your ignorance,” meetings because they aren’t really basing their opinion on what the Bible is truly saying, but their opinion is based more on what they are comfortable believing.
They are similar to the myths and old wives’ tales that Paul warns against. These attenders know a lot and talk a lot. They know what they are supposed to do, but the majority will never attempt to share their faith with someone who needs to know. They are interested in sharing their own opinions. But there is very little interest in actually doing the work of evangelism.
Surveys show that in America, as much as 95% of people who identify as Christian, do not share the gospel with unbelievers. They have a lot of justifications and excuses, but they are mostly like the one in the Proverbs of whom Solomon says, “mere talk leads only to poverty.” They are poor in the things of Christ.
Then there are the ones who chase fantasies. They study program after program to learn how to share their faith, hoping that this next one has the magic bullet that can’t be argued against, insulating the one sharing from the possibility of ridicule and rejection. They’ve studied them all, but have discovered that none of them claim to be fool proof, so they put the curriculum on the shelf and go back to their daily lives and keep their faith to themselves, believing that they are staying safe.
What they don’t realize is how poor they are in Christ. Rick Warren has said: “Jesus never called us to be successful, but obedient.” It’s not up to us to save anyone. In truth, we can’t do it, so if we think that it’s our job to save someone, we need to forget it because we can’t do it. Jesus does the saving. Our job, in obedience to Christ is to share and when we find someone we can help to grow, it’s our job to help them become a disciple of Christ. Work for the Kingdom is our obedience to Christ. The profit, or reward, is in His hand and Solomon says that: “All hard work brings a profit.” How much more so when that profit is in Heaven.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, you did an amazing work on our behalf, to save us from sin and hell! Now all you ask us to do is talk about it. The work involved is the passion to care for the lost and the courage to approach them with our good news. It takes courage because we know people resist. Our fear of rejection makes us afraid we will end the relationship and lose our chances. But Father, we love You and we should do this work for You! Let that give us courage. Holy Spirit, help! In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: The Mission
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