Hard Work Pays Off

Bible verse: Proverbs 14:23 "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."

Insight: This Bible verse speaks about the idea of hard work in all aspects of our lives. "Profit," is not merely the monetary value we gain, profit is the abundance of something. When we work hard in life, there are many ways we will benefit. People always say that relationships are hard work—well, that's true! To have successful relationships with others, we need to work hard to maintain them. We need to check in on our friends, talk to our significant others about our relationships, and spend time with our families. We can say we'll do all of these things, but if we don't actually put in the work to maintain these relationships, our words will be void. This is especially true when it comes to our relationships with God! How many times do we say we'll be more intentional with our time spent in scripture? How many times do we actually do that? It takes such hard work to be intentional with our time spent with God, but we'll never reap the benefits of a flourishing relationship with Him unless we put our words into action! Let's be people who don't just say we'll clean out our closet for three weeks straight but actually do it and feel better when we do! Take the necessary time out of your day to spend in prayer and scripture and see how your hard work will bring you profit.

Work application: This Bible verse is so applicable to our work lives! There is so much that goes into furthering a career and gaining experience. We can say we have so many career aspirations, but unless we go out and seek ways to further our careers, it'll all dwindle down to empty words. Jeff McHugh, co-author of From Illusion to Reality, speaks on the importance of career planning and starting early. Work towards getting an internship during school, conduct informational interviews, and network with alumni. None of these steps are easy, they take hard work and discipline, but the more work you put into furthering your career the more you will see your career prospects flourish. Let's be people who work hard to reap the benefits in all aspects of our lives.

Grateful: I am grateful for a God who pushes us to grow and gives us the independence to flourish.

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Contributor: Jessica Carrera holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in writing and a minor in Biblical Studies from Biola University. She aspires to touch the lives of others through her words.