Through the years, I have seen many mottos like “we know we can aim high” and “work hard”. I grew up with the idea that working hard is good for you. From standard 6 (Grade 8, today), I worked in a hardware store every weekend and over most school holidays. As a student, I sometimes had two part-time jobs at the same time. Hard work was nothing strange to me. My parents worked very hard and so did most of the adults I knew as a child. Hard work is also praised in several of the proverbs, but in verse for today, it seems as if all the hard work will add nothing to your riches. Is this what is meant by this proverb?

 

No, the proverb means something totally different as it is not about money at all. The wealth that we receive from the Lord’s blessings is much more valuable than all the possessions that I have worked very hard to accumulate. True spiritual riches cannot be earned by days and nights of hard work, but it is given to us as a gift by the grace of God alone. To enjoy the blessing of the Lord every day is true riches and even my most worthy deeds do not add anything.

 

What does it mean to me blessed by the Lord? Unfortunately, not that sad things, bad things and difficult things will never come our way – God’s blessed followers can get cancer, they sometimes suffer from depression, their children can disappoint them and their farms might suffer prolonged droughts. God does not bring sufferings upon us, they are just part of the world we are living in. However, throughout these sufferings, we can be sure of his presence and that is a rich blessing. David said, in Psalm 23, that even when he goes through the deepest darkness, he will not be afraid. He knows that God is with him.

 

By the blessing of God, we are already very wealthy, but there is an even more wonderful legacy waiting for us, everlasting life.

 

Prayer: Thank you Lord for giving us a kind of wealth beyond our wildest dreams, just because you love us so much. Amen