Mere Talk Leads only to Poverty
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips
tendeth only to
penury (This means poverty).
Prov 14:23 (KJV), parenthesis added
There is a great
disconnect in America today between talking and actually doing something. The
Proverb above is absolutely true—American’s like to sit and talk about
everything. We watch talk shows that bear absolutely no fruit in our lives
despite the many hundreds of hours that we have sacrificed to view them. We
listen to radio programs and so on. Now, I
am not saying that listening to someone or something is ever wrong. It can be
very fruitful at times! However, what
Americans need learn is to stop talking and start laboring.
No longer are
Americans known for being people who do something as our ancestors were. The
Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Settlers of the West were people who worked hard.
Today, we don’t see that very much. And in my generation it seems virtually
non-existent.
The Bible is very
emphatic that hard work and diligence bring rewards. Here are a few:
Much food in tillage of the poor
Much food is in
the tillage of the poor: but there is
that is destroyed for want of
judgment.
Prov 13:23 (KJV)
Know the state of thy flocks and
herds
Be thou diligent to know the state of
thy flocks, and
look well to thy herds.
Prov 27:23 (KJV)
Lambs for clothing and goats for
price of the field
The lambs are
for thy clothing, and the goats are
the price of the field.
27 And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food
of thy household, and for
the maintenance for thy maidens.
Prov 27:26-27 (KJV)
These verses refer
to animals and crops that are daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tended to.
Today, our average lifestyle in America means get up, eat, get a shower and go
to work/school. There is not much routine that we must do to provide for
ourselves and our families. We aren’t milking the cows and gathering the eggs,
but spending fifteen seconds to get the milk and pour it on our cereal. Many
then sit in offices all day—doing very little physically.
This does not
appear to line up with God’s plan. Despite modern conveniences, we still need
to apply effort in our daily lives. Americans have one of the, if not the
highest, standards of living in the world but without getting back to hard work
it will ultimately crumble.
During my time in
an office environment, I was in and saw meetings take place far too often. We
talked and talked and talked about the problem and solutions but so little was
usually done. Months later, the same things would simply be repeated and action
delayed once again. Some meetings can be
fruitful if decisive action is taken, but mere talk (simply talking about
the problem for the sake of talking), as the Bible says, leads to poverty.
There is no productivity or great result. Paul warned us to avoid foolish
controversies—I’ve been learning that a
lot of conversations about politics and even doctrine is usually a foolish
controversy. I think that Facebook posts and articles are more effective it
seems to actually reaching people with truth in small snippets. Yet, a lot of Facebook
“debates” need to be avoided. In other words, learn to detect when someone is
genuinely asking a question and open to hear what God’s Word has to say and
what the facts of history are and when they just want to argue. When people
just want to argue refuse to waste time talking with them and move on. There
may be some cases where God prompts us by His Holy Spirit to boldly confront
the arrogant fool, but generally speaking, talking with a fool is a foolish
controversy, mere talk that should be avoided.
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and
contentions,
and strivings about
the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
Titus 3:9 (KJV)
We need to be
doing things. Too long in America,
we stay children. The average man isn’t grown up by thirty years of age, maybe
even older by now, in this country. Children do not need to just play and be
entertained (although there is a proper place for that), they need to be
growing up, given small responsibilities to prove faithful in, experimenting,
and trying out entrepreneurial endeavors while kids. Lemonade stands, lawn
maintenance, and garage sales teach lessons to kids that last a lifetime. And
learning to be faithful in small, daily tasks and responsibilities teaches
character that is rare to find today.
