Do Good Things Come to Those Who Wait? Proverbs 6:6-8 Answers.

Can we expect good things to come to us if we sit just around and wait while hoping for some good fortune to change our lives like winning the lottery?

The wisest man in history didn't seem to think so. King Solomon wrote, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8.

YES, IT IS POETRY
Proverbs are different kind of teaching style than we are used to in western thought. It uses poetry, imagery, and other literary devices to make a point. What counts is the point that it makes.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS VERSE
Ants do not have a big corporate structure, a huge master plan, or agenda. What they do have is a work ethic. They work day after day without ceasing. They do not take vacations, holidays, personal days, me time or call out sick.

ANTS DO HAVE SOMETHING
They have something and it is not just a work ethic, but it is because of their work ethic they have storage filled with provisions.

CONSIDER ITS WAYS
Ants work hard and long so they have what they need.
Be like the ant and:

• Be the hardest worker.
• Don't wait for the right time, to them the time is now.
• Look for opportunities.
• Make opportunities if none are available.
• Do not disregard the small stuff.
• Work with your team.
• Work toward your goal.
• Take time off when you need it not when you want it.
• Don't consume what you have gained but set aside for the future.
• Don't wait to be told to work.

Maybe the wind will blow a winning lottery ticket to your doorstep, but don't count on it! Be like the ant and work every day and store up as much as can; someday you will have storehouses full of provisions ready to use and share.

Does the Bible Teach it Is OK To Not Work? Ephesians 4:28

Sometimes work is hard and sometimes work is boring. The world is full of other activities that are more enjoyable and fun than work, so if you can get out of work by cheating, stealing, or by taking advantage of a welfare program, then what is wrong with that?

The Bible says, "Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need."

 Ephesians 4:28.

"ANYONE"
Some people steal and feel they can justify it by some reason or another, that they are owed, or they are deserving, or that this case is an exception, but the word anyone also means EVERYONE, so no matter who you are or what your reason you must not steal.

"STEALING"
Many people do not understand what stealing is. Most people can see that taking something that doesn't belong to you is stealing, but others think it is OK to steal if the value is small or the owner is impersonal, like a business or government. Stealing is just as wrong if it is a dollar candy bar or robbing a bank.  When you steal, you take the benefits of someone else's life, their time, energy, and labor. It is the same if you use a gun to rob a bank or lie on a form to get money from the bank or the state.

"WORK"
God gave work to mankind as a gift. It was the first instruction to Adam in the garden, making it foundational to all we are intended to do and be. Work was meant to be a blessing; our sinful nature wants to twist it into something else.

Work is a blessing because it...
     * Increases self-image, self-worth, and self-identity.
     * Becomes the catalyst to develop character.
     * Develops relationships we would never know otherwise.
     * Provides a means of greater and sustainable wealth.
     * It can actually increase your IQ.
     * People who work are generally healthier than those who don't.
Just to name a few blessings.

"USEFUL"
Work is an activity that is useful to others, the community, or society, and it makes you helpful to others. There is a purpose in honest labor that benefits all those around us. The one who steals or lives off of others' endeavors is doing something not worthwhile.

"HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE"
We do not work to amass our own stockpile of goods, but we work to provide for ourselves and to have a resource to provide for others. Because we work, we are prepared to share our goods, wealth, and blessings.

"THOSE IN NEED"
There will always be someone in need, and we are blessed by their creator when we reach out and become a blessing to them.

GOD
God does not mean for us to be idle, lazy, or to live off the efforts of others. We are meant to be productive and valuable. Instead of being persons who take the resources of others, we are supposed to be giving to others.

Many of us hold the core belief that God is Love and that love is expressed in his sacrificial giving of his Son Jesus on the cross to pay for mankind's sin. If God is to be an example, then we should live sacrificial lives of giving and serving; such lives are not possible if we depend on theft for income or welfare programs because these things undermine the work of God in us.

(c) Adron 9/3/16

Where Does Wealth Come From? Deuteronomy 8:17-18

You may think. I went to work, I worked hard and invested my paycheck so now I have wealth- but would you be right?

"You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me" But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." Deuteronomy 8:17-18

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
This is from the Bible where the people are instructed that when they come into the Promised Land to beware the dangers of pride and forgetting the God who brought them there.

REMEMBER
"Remember" is a word that is asking you to make an effort. When everything seems right it is easy to forget something and that is when you most need to remember.

THE LORD YOUR GOD
It is God we need to remember, because:
     * He is the All-Powerful.
     * He is the Creator.
     * He is the One who sustains all things.
     * He is the governing Lord of All.

IT IS HE WHO GIVES ABILITY
The Bible is saying it is a mistake to think that you are the one who produced the wealth you posses. It is The Almighty who gives you breath and allows your heart to beat so you can work.  It is God who gave you intelligence to understand the workplace, markets, and trends.

If The Lord took your health away you would not be able to go and earn a living. If He allowed you to experience a stroke you may not be aware to manage your affairs.  He gives you the ability to earn and manage wealth- therefore God is the source of wealth.

GIVE THANKS
We must work hard but we must make it a priority to remember and thank God for the ability to work and the blessing he has put on our labors.

Can You Get Along Without Working?

Should Christians take advantage of social services like state sponsored food stamps, and section eight housing when they could earn enough for these things instead?

"We hear that some among you are idle. They not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat." 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12.

COMMAND AND URGE
The Bible uses strong language here. God through the Apostle gives us a command and further urges us in the Lord to earn our living. When God gives a command it is an imperative from the Almighty. It is not a suggestion or only advice- it is holy marching orders. The authority of God is behind the words "earn the bread."

URGE
To urge is to say hurry up, get on with it, and don't wait any longer.  It is the sense of do it now.

WORK
When God created man He put man in the garden to till the soil. One of the purposes The Lord had for man was work. He created us to find satisfaction in work. To be idle and not work is against the intention of the Our Creator.

To get benefits by not working is theft because the lazy person benefits unjustly from the labor of others. If a person is not able to work that is another matter and it should be the joy and privilege of those who have been blessed with this world's goods to aid them. The ones who do not work are robbing those resources that can be given to those who are truly in need.

THE BEST LIFE HAS FOR YOU
Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)The person who refuses to live productively is a living denial of the purpose of God in their lives. We cannot have the abundant life if we are rejecting God's commands and the words quoted above are a command.

Avoiding work does not give the best in life but working productively fulfills one of the purposes God has for you.

(c) Adron

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Thank you for visiting my blog. 
I hope these post help.
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 Adron

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What is Wrong With Wanting To Get Rich Quick?

We hear about programs that promise easy quick wealth, so what is wrong with joining?

"He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty." Proverbs 28:19

WORK YOUR LAND
Working the land is hard. The days are long, the bright sun is on you, you get sweaty, dirty, tired, and you might get splinters from tools or worse some accident in a tractor or combine, but it is necessary in order to bring the harvest.

TODAY'S LAND
Today few of us work on farms, instead, we have jobs. To work our jobs means to work hard too.  It means...
     * To show up on time.
     * To put in a full day.
     * Saying yes cheerfully to an unpleasant task.
     * Learning how to do our jobs better.
     * Being willing to stay late and work on days off.
     * Learning the business.
     * Learning jobs of other departments and being able to fill in.
     * Becoming the best worker they ever saw.

CHASES FANTASIES
To chase something is to go after it with haste and energy. When you chase something you keep your eye on it and ignore other things. Chasing something tires you out and you cannot sustain the chase over a long time.

The world is full of get rich fantasies. In the lottery people throw hundreds of dollars away each year or month to hit it big when investing those same monies would give more than the winnings ever would. The internet is full of "programs" to join and get rich, they promise so many dollars a day or a year, but they take your dollars and hours and pay little or nothing.

FILL OF POVERTY
These fantasies of get rich quick are often scams that require money up front or constant payments that slowly ebb away your resources and diminish your savings.

When you chase the fantasy of quick or easy wealth you take time and energy away from doing the things that will be sure to give a fuller life. That time could be used to acquire skills and knowledge that will get promotions at your current job. It's time you could use to get training or education that will make you a valuable candidate for a better job, but time wasted chasing fantasies will leave you without riches and you are no off.

YOUR FIELD
God has given each of us a field; for some, it may be a cash register at a store, a set of tools at an auto repair shop, or it may be a paint brush and ladder. Invest in who you are and develop what God has given you and you will never worry about where your next meal is coming from.

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Thank you for visiting my blog. 
I hope these post help.
See my most helpful post in the sidebar.

 Adron

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Does The Bible Teach I Should Work Hard If The Job Stinks?

Should we work hard only when it suites us? If we have a dream job should we work hard then, but if the job really stinks should we only do enough to get by?

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23- 24.

WHATEVER
It makes no difference according to the Bible if you job is nice or nasty; it is the same. Whatever means everything, in all cases, or regardless of circumstances.

ALL YOUR HEART
If you have a good job or a bad one you should give it all you got, not just enough to get by. If you call God your God and Jesus your Savor you should be the top worker no matter how bad the job is.

WORKING FOR THE LORD
God is in charge of all things so he is in control of your bad job as well as the good things in your life. It is an affront to his providence to say, "This job is bad so I will cut corners and do as little as possible." He gave the job not the person who held the interview. He has a purpose.

Our attitude should be not that we are working for mere pay that perishes with the use of it but that we are doing something the King of the universe has honored us by asking us to do it.

INHERITANCE
A paycheck is something we earn; it is predictable and often too small. God does not give paychecks he gives an inheritance. His reward for those things done in his name and unto him is far better than any earnings a job can give us.

Whatever our job is we should see it as something we are doing for God, and do it in a way that is worthy of God.