A Hungry Woman

Reading for Today: Proverbs Chapter 16

Gold Nugget

Verse 26: “The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on.”

Commentary

 There’s no better motivation than a hungry mouth. Once on a construction site a young man was complaining to an older man that he had had enough and was about to quit! The old man asked him, “Are you married, son?” The young man replied, “Yes.” The old man asked him if he was making payments on his furniture, and the answer was again, “Yes.” Further he asked, “Does your wife like to eat three times a day and do you pay a utility bill?” “Yes”, he replied again. Why are you asking me all this? The old man simply replied, “A woman just don't feel in the mood when she's sitting hungry on a cold floor.” I’ll never forget that old story. People too often do not make the connection between what you do today and how much it prevents or ensures things down the road. Today’s “gold nugget” reminds us that, “The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on.”  Just like the carrot before the horse, the promise of reward is a real life motivation for the studious worker.

A wise man realizes that his hard work today does not necessarily guarantee him a reward today. When he is lying in his bed at night with cool ac blowing over his body, a full belly from a satisfying meal and the comfort of knowing it will all be there when he wakes up is a result of not what he earned today, but because of those previous days when he pressed on even when he really didn’t feel like it. Just as the wise man realizes that his work today ensures his tomorrow, the lazy man enjoys taking the day off not connecting it to him being hungry the next week. The principle of reaping and sowing is as prevalent in the bible as any other topic. The thing we know about reaping and sowing is the seasonal period that it teaches. There are long hard days of laboring before you will have a harvest to reap. Don’t look at your present situation and use that to decide what you will do today. See what you want down the road and do today what contributes to getting you there.

Prayer

Lord, I know that I have a lot of work to put in for a reward that I know is still far off. Help me to keep focused on the harvest time and commit to the laboring today that will bring that harvest in its season. Amen

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