A blast from the living in the past. . .
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ODAY'S PROVERB: Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverb 10:4
Pretty straightforward proverb today. Work hard and we'll have wealth. Does wealth mean being rich? Having a lot of money and stuff?
Okay, my friends, we're taking a journey of definitions that will hopefully encourage and challenge us. Here goes.
The archaic definition of wealth is: well-being, prosperity. That definition seems more within the context of this passage. Well-being is a state-of-being: to be comfortable, healthy, or happy. Perhaps, content.
So, does it take hard work to be content? I would say, yes. It takes diligence--diligent hands. Diligence is defined as careful and persistent work or effort.
Reading this definition made me think of my grandmother. Grandma was an artist of diligence.
Oh, how I loved my grandmother. Most of my best childhood memories were my times with her.
She raised my father and his brothers during the Depression. My grandparents knew the value of hard, persistent work.
Grandma seldom threw things away--she was very careful of waste. Margarine tubs were her Tupperware. She recycled before it was cool. Scraps went to the farm animals. She hung clothes in the fresh air. Extra buttons went into an ancient cookie tin. She darned socks (translation: mended holes) over a used light bulb.
She gave to the poor--giving food or clothing or special treats by hand, in person. They knew her and she knew them by name.
Waste was a bad word. Laziness as well.
My grandparents' beautiful home was spacious, warm, inviting, and peaceful. She made time to rest and "visit." I love my memories of Grandma sitting on the porch swing with me and telling me stories.
I thought they were the wealthiest people in the world.
We live in a country of great wealth. We're also a country of great waste.
I wonder how diligent we are. I feel convicted by that. Especially when I compare my life to my grandmother's.
How much food do I throw away because it's easier to go out to dinner? How much do I spend on items I never fully use? Or have to replace because of poor maintenance?
What if we lived a more archaic--old-fashioned--li
Just a thought. I bet you have great ideas, too.
May we be diligent, my friends.
Proverbs 10:4, Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs
[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
Pretty straightforward proverb today. Work hard and we'll have wealth. Does wealth mean being rich? Having a lot of money and stuff?
Okay, my friends, we're taking a journey of definitions that will hopefully encourage and challenge us. Here goes.
The archaic definition of wealth is: well-being, prosperity. That definition seems more within the context of this passage. Well-being is a state-of-being: to be comfortable, healthy, or happy. Perhaps, content.
So, does it take hard work to be content? I would say, yes. It takes diligence--diligent hands. Diligence is defined as careful and persistent work or effort.
Reading this definition made me think of my grandmother. Grandma was an artist of diligence.
Oh, how I loved my grandmother. Most of my best childhood memories were my times with her.
She raised my father and his brothers during the Depression. My grandparents knew the value of hard, persistent work.
Grandma seldom threw things away--she was very careful of waste. Margarine tubs were her Tupperware. She recycled before it was cool. Scraps went to the farm animals. She hung clothes in the fresh air. Extra buttons went into an ancient cookie tin. She darned socks (translation: mended holes) over a used light bulb.
She gave to the poor--giving food or clothing or special treats by hand, in person. They knew her and she knew them by name.
Waste was a bad word. Laziness as well.
My grandparents' beautiful home was spacious, warm, inviting, and peaceful. She made time to rest and "visit." I love my memories of Grandma sitting on the porch swing with me and telling me stories.
I thought they were the wealthiest people in the world.
We live in a country of great wealth. We're also a country of great waste.
I wonder how diligent we are. I feel convicted by that. Especially when I compare my life to my grandmother's.
How much food do I throw away because it's easier to go out to dinner? How much do I spend on items I never fully use? Or have to replace because of poor maintenance?
What if we lived a more archaic--old-fashioned--li
Just a thought. I bet you have great ideas, too.
May we be diligent, my friends.
Proverbs 10:4, Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs
[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
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