Study Materials

In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury (Proverbs 14:23).

The opening verse draws a stark contrast between working hard, being diligent, and idle talk or laziness. The “idle talker” or lazy person tends to poverty. The term penury is synonymous with poverty, lack, want, or being broke. Proverbs 14:23 (CEV) says, “Hard work is worthwhile, but empty talk will make you poor.” 

People who work hard receive something for their efforts; their labour produces results. But there are those who engage in endless chatter; they criticize everything. They know what the government, the governor, the mayor, and even the president ought to be doing. They have opinions on every subject, but do nothing themselves.

The Bible is clear about such individuals: their mere talk, without the right actions, will lead to lack and poverty. Idle talkers may sound knowledgeable and convincing, but their words have no value. No wonder the Word emphasizes the importance of diligence and warns against idleness. Proverbs 10:4-5 says, “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” 

Proverbs 12:24 further contradistinguishes between the diligent and the sluggard; it says, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”

God's plan for you, however, is far beyond simply working hard to avoid poverty; rather, it is for you to prosper in every area of your life. He expresses this clearly in 3 John 1:2. It says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 

This is God’s desire for you—to experience true prosperity in every dimension of your life: spiritually, materially, and physically. Therefore, choose to be productive. Engage diligently in your work or business and in what God has called you to do. Align yourself with God’s vision of prosperity, applying wisdom and diligence in your pursuits. And because God delights in your prosperity, He’ll bless your work and cause you to walk in abundance and unending supply. Praise God!