| An Enemy of Prosperity: Lack of Wisdom By Joseph Prescia The difference between someone who wastes time and one who does not is in the choices that are made for every hour that ticks by each day. Both have the same amount of time to work with, but the waster chooses to spend their time in things that bring back very little in return for what they give out in their life. God uses the example of an ant in Proverbs to illustrate the difference between one who works wisely and one who is lazy and unwise. Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the ant, thou sluggard (Habitually lazy person); consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. Verse 6 says to consider the ways of the ant and be wise. The ant is wise because it works diligently, completing as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. A person can have the right knowledge but not make it their way of doing things. The thing that a lazy person lacks is wisdom. Wisdom is the right application of knowledge. A person who knows what they need to do and does not do it is lazy. They have been robbed of their time and the result is poverty. The encouragement here is to work. We are to consider the ant because the ant does not have an overseer or ruler yet they work. Some people only want to work when a situation or person makes them work. The ant doesn’t waste time. It is diligent. If you want to be rich you need to be diligent. Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Slack means “negligent, idle, lazy, or deceitful.” Diligent means “sharp or strict decision.” You are poor if you are slack, negligent, idle, lazy or deceitful. So if you don’t want to be poor, you need to change to being diligent, sharp or with a strict decision. The rich make better decisions than the poor. Both have the same amount of time given to them, but the rich use their time more wisely. They figure out how to make the most in the shortest amount of time. Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. The sluggard desires, wishes for, craves for, and lusts after. “I wish I had such and such.” The diligent is made fat or prosperous because they DO instead of wishing. One makes the right decision, and the other wastes time wishing. Proverbs 18:9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Again, wasting time brings poverty and productive time brings prosperity. Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business (or effort); fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Not sluggish, not lazy in business, enthusiastic in spirit, being hot, zeal in spirit, serving the Lord. In whatever you do, you are to do it enthusiastically to serve God. You can’t segregate God in your life. You can’t assume He’s only good for when you think about Him. Someone who is slothful wastes time, but someone who is fervent remembers how short the time is in everything that they do. The Greek word for business is spoude, which is related to a word in II Timothy 2:15. II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Study, spoudazo, means to “expend a diligent effort, remembering the brevity of time.” God is exhorting us to use our time wisely by rightly dividing the Word of truth. If we want to make the wisest decisions we go to the Word of God, God’s heart, and get the most back in return for our time spent. He created us, so it’s wise to follow His instructions. As we expend a diligent effort remembering the brevity of time we will stand approved of God. This yields us the greatest return on our investment. The proper study of the Scriptures show us HOW to obtain from God. If there’s something we want to obtain, wishing for it will not get it. It’s not enough to vainly want something. That wastes time. We go to God and ask Him, “Father, how can I have this desire of my heart? Show me God how to obtain certain things that I desire.” O. S. Marden wrote in “Ambition and Success”: "If the motive is big enough the ability to match it is usually forthcoming. There is not one of you, my friends, who could not be more alert, more original, more ingenious, more resourceful, more careful, more thorough, more level-headed; not one of you who could not use a little better judgment a little more forethought, a little more discrimination, if you saw a tempting prize ahead of you as a reward. “Whatever may be your ambition, play fair with yourself. Quit the side issues.” Cut out the diversions. Live with and for your big ambition. Drop all else to attain your end and you will win-you will be and you will have what you want. “Take a lesson in pruning and lop off the useless branches which consume vitality and obscure sunshine. That card club that interferes with early rising; that light reading that takes your mind off preparation for bigger things, and all other wasteful habits. Have you cut them off? If you have not it is because you don’t want the “big thing” hard enough to deserve it, and you won’t get it unless you prune off the useless habits that are diverting your energy and keeping you away from the main chance. “Success in life is a process of selection and elimination-a choosing between the worthless and the worth while. To get time for things that count you must save time by eliminating all else. Copy the athlete at the training table, feed on that which builds you up and keeps you fit for the struggle.” Unless you are inspired by a great purpose, a resolute determination to make your life count, you will not make much of an impression upon the world about you. The difference in the quantity and quality of success is largely one of ambition and determination. If you lack these you must cultivate them vigorously, persistently, or you will be a nobody. I have never known any one to make a place for himself in the world, who did not keep his purpose alive by constant struggle to reach his goal. The moment ambition sags, we lose the force that propels us; and once our propelling power is gone we drift with the tide of circumstances.” Would you say that the ant has ambition, focus, and purpose? This combination does not waste time. Matthew 25:14-29 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talentsb,† to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21 † His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 † He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 † His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury (interest). 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Jesus called him a wicked and slothful servant. This poverty thinking is referred to as wicked, which is evil and slothful which is lazy. God wants us to grow, to produce, to abound, to multiply in all that we have in every category of our lives. If we hold back, if we are afraid to grow, if we refuse to leave our comfort zones, if we are lazy then we can be compared to this man who put the talent in the ground. We have great ability but lacked the drive to carry it out. Have you ever thought, “I just don’t see God manifested in my life like others do.” We’ve all been there. If we are afraid to leave our comfort zone then we shouldn’t wonder why we don’t see God working in our lives. There’s not very much a person needs from God’s in their comfort zone. Once you step outside a comfort zone into an area where you have never been, that’s when you need to rely upon God more and that’s where you will evidence Him more in your life. We can put God to work for us. He wants to give us the desires of our heart. Well, how big have you made your heart? If you don’t enlarge your heart to take on more, to believe more, to love more, to give more, then there will not be more corresponding action to follow. Being successful is really easy. It’s just choosing the right things within a given time. We all have the same time allotted to us. The difference is in what we choose in that time. Just like Marden said, “Success in life is a process of selection and elimination-a choosing between the worthless and the worth while. To get time for things that count you must save time be eliminating all else.” That’s how we overcome wasting time. Return to main page |