Plenty or Poverty

He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty. Proverbs 28:19

Look at the way this proverb is put together. You can have either “plenty of food” or “plenty of poverty”.

The Lord wants his people to be industrious. There are plenty of Proverbs that teach this. Having a good work ethic is something parents should teach their children. My dad was a great role model for me but even now as an adult I am still influenced by people who are hard workers.

I was talking to my brother Greg the other day and he said when he was in high school he had a job washing dishes at a restaurant. The manager called him over and said he wasn’t working hard enough. Greg told him he was working harder than the other guys and the manager responded, “don’t pattern yourself after them”. Greg said for the next month he worked as hard as he could and the manager noticed and approached him impressed with Greg’s work ethic and offered him a job as a cook. Greg said, no… I quit. The manager was disappointed at losing a good worker.

Greg told me that our brother Scott gave him some advice one time. Scott told him that when the boss is away most people slow down, but that is when you should work twice as hard… not to impress the boss but to earn the respect of the other workers and to differentiate yourself from them.

People who are industrious and who take pride in their work ability will never go hungry they will have plenty. And they will be noticed and rewarded for their skill.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men. Proverbs 22:29