August 8, 2019 - Suggested Reading Proverbs 10 for the August 11th message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

Proverbs 10:4 (NIV) 

Our culture today rejects this proverb for it assigns cause to those who are poor and those who are wealthy. Our culture wants us to believe that poverty and wealth are accidental occurrences in the lottery of life, however our Lord wants us to know the truth.

Now we need to be careful here - for Proverbs does not deal in universal truths, but in general truths. That is to say that not all people in poverty are there because of laziness, nor are all people who are wealthy there because of diligence, but the general truth our God wants us to ruminate on is that our work habits have an effect on our financial state.

Now another caution for us - I have been careful to tell my children over the years of what a blessing it is to live in a land like Canada where diligent work will bring reward, and that what I hear of some other places around the world, people work themselves to death and still are unable to reap any reward. Could it be that this general truth of diligent work bringing wealth is applicable only where the gospel of Christ has had influence in the laws and structure of society? Verse 22 tells us it is “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” and our rules of commerce and freedoms come from traditions based on the gospel and verses like this.

No matter how we take tiptoe around the truths in vs 4 and 22, no one can deny the truth contained in verse 15 where wealth is called a fortified city for the rich. I know of no one who would deny this as a truth. It is easily observable in every part of the world that wealth protects those who have it! Sadly, it is also observable in every part of the world including Canada that poverty ruins those who are poor. So, if the truth in verse 15 is universally true - perhaps we should pay more attention to the truth in verse 4, and practice diligence. For if diligent hands in Canada produce wealth, and wealth protects our loved ones- then let us be diligent, and thank God for His blessing as He brings us wealth.