Proverbs 14:23 - “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”
God’s Word tells us that there is profit in all labor. All labor – that is a big statement. I have had young people tell me that they were not interested in a certain job because it did not pay enough per hour or it did not offer enough hours to be worthwhile. But according to this verse, there would be some profit in taking the job. Taking an inferior job will profit more than talking about a superior one.
Think of it! According to this passage, you would be better off to take a job with no pay than to wish for a job with pay. Rather than standing around talking to your youth pastor about how you cannot find a job this summer, why not pick up a broom and start sweeping? Rather than complain that there is no work for teenagers in your town, why not ask if you can help clean the church? You might be surprised what profit may come from your actions. There are many ways one can profit from labor.
My dad taught me at an early age that there was value in work. My dad would take me with him and let me help him work. I am convinced that I slowed him down a lot of times, but he let me work with him anyway. It took two of us longer to accomplish what he could have done more quickly alone. You may look at that example and say, “Aha! We found an example that disproves the teaching of Scripture,” but I disagree. You may ask, “What profit was there in your work as a child?” I was learning to work, and that has been very profitable to me as well as to my dad. After I learned to work, we could work together and get things done more quickly.
This same thing will work for you around the house. You may not be able to find a job, but you could learn to clean your house and do a grand job of it. You never know, there may be a lady in the church who would be willing to pay you a few dollars to help her clean her house. Rather than complain that there is nothing to do, how about going outside and washing the car. Make sure you do an excellent job with it, because you never know when a neighbor may see your work and ask you to wash his car for hire.
You can never go wrong by simply believing the Scriptures. Profit in all labor? Why don’t you try it and see what happens?
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