Tilling the Land
Today’s Verse:
He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough. ~Proverbs 28:19
Our devotion this morning centers itself on the importance of diligence and hard work. Solomon gives the reader a familiar picture. It is a picture of a landowner who is faithfully working his land so that he is able to adequately take care of himself and his household. Perhaps Solomon was looking one day from his vantage point on a tower and saw some landowners working their fields. He watched as the land was plowed and prepared, seeds were sown and nurtured, and eventually crops would grow and be cultivated. He realized that the man who worked his land with great diligence had more than enough for his needs until the following year. Let us consider the valuable lesson on diligence and hard work.
There is the commission.
Back in the Garden of Eden, God commissioned man to work in the sweat of his face. God said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread....” God told Adam that for him and all of his descendants, there would be no product apart from diligence and hard work. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” God commissioned that anything worthwhile to be produced is always dependent upon hard work. You were made to work hard at everything you do! Do you work hard, or is it possible that you are hardly working?
There is the cultivation.
A landowner knew that he had to work his land in order for his land to work for him. The cultivation of the land would be a year-round project. First, the land would have to be plowed up, and the fallow ground would have to be broken up. Second, weeds, rocks, and undesirable elements in the soil would need to be removed. Third, seeds would be carefully sown in rows so that the desired crops could grow. Fourth, constant irrigation and review of the field would be necessary to assure growth. Fifth, as growth appeared, the fields would need to be protected against vermin infestation and adverse weather conditions. Sixth, the time would come when healthy crops would come forward and be ready for harvesting. Cultivation would be daily. Cultivation needed to be done with diligence. Cultivation required discipline. There would be no shortcuts in the cultivation process. It was hard work.
There is the compensation.
“He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread....” The time would come for harvesting. There would be more than enough for the landowner. All of his hard work, diligence, and labor more than paid off. He would have plenty of bread. He had enough for his family’s needs until the next harvest. He had enough that he could sell in the marketplace to others. He had enough that he could share. This man was blessed in his deed! He proved through his efforts that God blessed diligence and hard work. He saw that there is a wonderful reward to everyone who works hard at what they do.
There is the comparison.
As Solomon viewed the landscape, he saw the man who tilled his land. He also saw the slothful man who allowed weeds and nettles to overtake that man’s land to the point where it was incapable of producing anything because it had not been tilled. One sight encouraged success. The other sight was a sobering reminder of what happens when we are not diligent.
Don’t have a slack hand; work diligently at everything you do! Hard work always pays off! It takes time, but your reward for hard work will take good care of you. Whatever you do, work hard!
Have a diligent God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Deuteronomy 17-20