The book of Proverbs is a letter from a father to a son full of practical life advice. But the author is not your average dad. It was written by the wisest and richest man in history, King Solomon. This book of wisdom has immense value in the spiritual walk of a Christian, but the knowledge shared within is not only valuable to the Christian. Anyone can glean unchangeable facts of life and apply them to their daily lives.
Daily Proverbs
It has been recommended time and time again to read one chapter of Proverbs every day because there are thirty-one chapters, one for every day of the month (you’ll just be dumber in February). I’ve attempted this in the past and I realized that the amount of content found in a single chapter of Proverbs is too much for an entire month, let alone a single day. In this series on my blog, I plan to walk through a single proverb (a line or two) per blog post. Each blog will discuss the meaning behind the proverb and bring some application to the modern day.
I know that if you ingested a single proverb a week, you would become wiser with your work, your relationships, and your money. I hope you’ll join me.
Empty words
In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.
- Proverbs 14:23
Do you have a friend that’s all talk and no action? Every day they have new ideas for exercise regimens, fat-burning diets, or business ideas that will finally make them rich. But they never do any of it. They start a new gym routine and fade out within a few weeks, the diet is boring after four days, and that business idea? It never gets past the GoDaddy checkout cart.
This proverb tells us about your friend and the fruit of their behavior: poverty. Talking alone about an awesome career or business opportunity leads to nothing. It’s just talk.
But labor? Hard work? In all of it, there is profit. If a bright idea leads to labor that leads to paying customers there is profit. Maybe the gym routine leads to consistent workouts which leads to strength improvement and fat loss. In that, there is profit. Profit of any kind does not come easy. It is almost always preceded by intense, straining labor.
The modern-day application is clear, your words lead to nothing unless they are followed by action.