Bible Reading: Proverbs 14:20-23
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23, NIV
LET’S RETURN TO Sesame Street, the famous children’s show that’s been on TV since the days when your parents’ music was cool. (That was a long, long time ago!) They used to play a game called, “One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn’t belong.” (If you read the February 23 reading, you’ve already played this game once.) Players are given a list or a series of items, and they’re supposed to pick out which item doesn’t belong in the group. Ready? Let’s play our own version of that game. For each category, just pick the item that doesn’t belong with the others in the group.
One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn’t belong:
knife shovel fork spoon
If you answered shovel, you’re right, because the other three are items you use for eating. Of course, if you use a shovel to eat your lunch, well then, we’ll just call you “MegaMouth”! Let’s play again!
One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn’t belong:
Matthew Mark Luke Simba
If you circled Simba, because he’s not one of the Gospel writers in the Bible, you’re really good at this game! Let’s play one more time!
One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn’t belong:
skiing swimming playing basketball working
How did you answer that question? Most people would probably pick working, figuring that all the other items on the list are fun, while working isn’t. That’s one possible way to answer that question. But it’s not the only way.
You see, work is not the opposite of play. Working isn’t the opposite of having fun. A lot of people have fun while they’re working. A lot of people work because they enjoy it. That’s one of the reasons the Bible says, “All hard work brings a profit” (Proverbs 14:23a, NIV). That doesn’t mean that every job is going to make you rich. However, it does mean that hard work always has some benefit—and one of those benefits is the enjoyment of working! So, if you circled working in the list above, you might want to erase your choice and circle something else instead.
REFLECT: Have you ever done a job that turned out to be kind of fun? What kind of work do you think might be fun to do? How can you make your current jobs or chores more fun?
PRAY: “God, thank you for teaching me about work. Help me to believe that ‘all hard work brings a profit,’ and help me please you by the way I do jobs such as_________.”
