Rewards of Work

Proverbs‬ ‭12:11, 14, 24, 27‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Verse 11: A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
Verse 14: Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.
Verse 24: Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
Verse 27: Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.

Wow!! There is SO much in this chapter!! Actions, choices, words.... but the verses that jumped out were on work. Verse 11 brought a flash-back of my life several years ago. Even tho I was working, and actually always could put food on the table, I chased fantasies! That chasing, caused me to spend money I didn't have on things that really weren't needed. Plus, spending on 'get-rich-quick' things! Wow! Was I ever bad in that department!! I chased SO many business opportunities, but never really actually put in the hard work it required. I wanted riches the easy way. News flash: there is NO easy way!!!
     Then verse 14, hit me, because that's what happened when I changed my path. Wise words directed me to truth & reality - nothing in this life actually comes easy or without effort. The 'rewards' that come when you actually put in a good days work - almost can't even be measured! Sure, if it's a physical job, there will be soreness & aches & pains, but it also makes sitting down and relaxing, or laying down & sleeping SO much better! That's a reward. The inner joy when we are doing a good job, cannot be measured. Paying the bills ON TIME, is a reward. Being able to help others is another reward.
    Verse 24 hit differently. Not all of us do our work well to become leaders. That's a nice benefit, but it's not the end goal of everyone. However, being lazy - well, EVERYONE who is lazy DOES become a slave! From outward sources as well as inside our own mind, we become enslaved to negativism. Nagging. Stress. Worry. Even worse, we become enslaved to the TV and quick, unhealthy foods. Being a slave to 'not working' may start out all glorious and such, but God designed us to 'want' to be productive. When we are not, then the enemy comes along side of us, and feeds us all sorts of lies! Then the vicious cycle begins, which gets us further & further in debt, and in tighter bondage. Slaves. Never ending it seems.
     Verse 27 had a MEF (minds eye flash) of The Swiss Family Robinson and The Wilderness Family. Then early settlers. When they hunted, they gathered each & every part and used it for so many things. Nothing went to waste. They used everything! Making food of course, but clothing, housing, blankets, tools, bait, soil help.... the list goes on & on. Nowadays, we all are SO wasteful! However, even in our modern times, we CAN be good workers & wise with 'every part' of what we bring home. Today, we can be mindful of our income, and not live beyond our means. We can shop wisely, be thrifty. When we buy things that are good quality, they lat longer, and we don't need to replace them as often, therefore - we are being good stewards with what we have.

I'm praying that today, you ask God to reveal ANY areas in your life that you may have gotten lazy, or are just not quite the 'hard worker' you should be. Trust, that whatever He shows you, is really something that you CAN work on and overcome!! Jesus is the Ultimate Overcomer, so you CAN be too!! Allow God to share opportunities with you, that end up being disguised in hard work - you'll be glad you did! We have to have good work ethics, in order to succeed and prosper. When we are rewarded for our hard work, that has value! We then can see our purpose too!





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