October 29, 2026

Business by the Book

Proverbs 20:4  The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

There was once a pastor of a church that was holding a revival. The pastor spent hour upon hour in the weeks before the scheduled event walking the streets of his town inviting folks to attend. On a certain day he knocked upon a door and a man answered. “Hi, I’m pastor so and so of such and such church, we are holding a revival next week and I wanted to invite you to attend.”  With that said the man simply turned, walked back into the house, opened the refrigerator door, looked for a moment and returned to the preacher. The pastor could see from the door what the man did. Then the man said, “No thanks I can’t come to the meeting, I have a gallon of milk.”  “A gallon of milk?” the pastor said. “What does having a gallon of milk have to do with attending our revival?”  Then the man replied, “One excuse is as good as another.”

Whether it is too cold to work, or too hot to work, or the person is too tired to work, or the day is too long, or the day is too short, or there is not enough pay to warrant the work, whatever the excuse, that is all it is. An excuse! One excuse is as good as another.

Sluggards always have excuses for not working. Therefore they will end up begging for the needs of life. Others work in the heat, in the cold, when they are tired, when it is not convenient,  when they feel taken advantage of, when the hours are long, or even when there is not enough work, they still work. No excuses from the diligent, but plenty from the sluggard. Ironically the sluggard will beg of the diligent and even become angry if the diligent does not give to them the things they desire.

The Lord knows all about this, therefore the Lord gives promises to the diligent. Yesterday’s devotion highlighted one of those promises - to reward the work of their hands even when they give to the poor. Want proof? Proverbs 24:12,If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? The answer is yes, the Lord will render to every man according to his work. The sluggard has no, or little work, therefore is rewarded with little or nothing. The diligent has much work, therefore is rewarded of the Lord with much.

Every business person knows the difference between being a sluggard and being diligent. One has abundance, the other comes to want. Successful people are always busy people, that is why success finds them.

Dr. William Howe