LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, May 30, 2024

Yesterday we laid out six wisdom principles to develop a successful work ethic which will result in financial security. Today we look at the other side of that coin and discover what makes for failure from the story of a man who owned a vineyard.

Proverbs 24:30-34  “I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Here are five characteristics of financial failure:

1.      Laziness – “I went past the field of the sluggard”

2.      Poor decision-making ability – “past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;”

3.      Procrastination – no discipline to do a job when it needs to be done – “thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.”

4.      A progressive downward spiral into pleasing self by resting whenever it is convenient for him – “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”

5.      Denial – being oblivious to the consequences and taking no personal responsibility for causing them – “and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Maybe you can relate to one or more of these characteristics in your own life right now. Their presence in your life may be the cause of your financial worries. Go back to yesterday’s devotional and review the six principles of financial security, and make some changes. Put an end to a poor work ethic and bring an end to your insecurity. You will be glad you did.

Pastor John