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“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”John 17:4If we want to have the joy that Jesus had, we need to live like Jesus lived. This was His approach to the work the Father gave Him to do:Jesus began earlyThe sluggard was slow to start but at the age of twelve, Jesus was in the temple (Lk. 2:49). He gave Himself to the Father’s business, and He did it out of love for the Father and out of love for us.Is there something you’ve been putting off? Are you aware of your need to get right with God and seek the new life Jesus offers? C. S. Lewis says that the devil has many ways of ruining souls, and his most effective way is to make people think that they have plenty of time. But the Bible says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!” (Heb. 3:15).Jesus stayed focused“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (Jn. 9:4). Where in your life do you need to stay focused and to persevere? Jesus set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. When you are discouraged, do not be distracted from doing the will of the Father no matter how costly it may be.Jesus completed His workI glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do (John 17:4). Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and He has done it. Everything that is needed to bring you from where you are to the eternal joy of heaven has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ.Jesus entered His restRight now, He is seated at the right hand of the Father where He is ready to save all who look to Him in repentance and faith. May it be that each of us becomes like Him.Is there something God is prompting you to do? Start early, stay focused, and persevere until you enter His rest.

I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.Proverbs 24:30–31Picture a wise man walking in the countryside. First, he goes past a field of ripening corn. Then he goes past a vineyard with clusters of grapes on the vine. Then he goes past a little vegetable garden. It’s going to be a good harvest, he thinks, and when it comes, these people will be blessed.But then he comes to a property that looks very different. This field is overgrown with thorns, and the stone wall is broken down.The tragedy of the neglected field is not just that the sluggard has failed to provide for himself but that he is not able to contribute to the needs of others.“The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labour. All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back” (21:25–26).God gave the sluggard a field that would produce all that he needed for himself and more that he could have given to others. But he did not use what God had entrusted to him, so the field became overgrown, and the wall was broken down.Love is the great biblical motive for work. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28).Love is the great motive for all of our work, and it begins with our love for God.How might your attitude toward work change if you were motivated by love for God and for others?

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.Proverbs 19:24We are looking today at the theme of work, or more precisely, its opposite.The book of Proverbs introduces us to a tragic character whose life ends in ruin. The name of this character is the sluggard. He is referred to 14 times.The sluggard is presented in comic terms, like when you see a caricature of a politician or a celebrity. Some aspect of their face is exaggerated, but you immediately know who it is.So, for example, we read “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth” (19:24). The sluggard loads the food onto his fork, but lifting it to his mouth is just too much effort.Then we read, “As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed” (26:14). The problem is not just that he likes to lie in bed, the problem is that he is seemingly hinged to his bed. He turns one way and then the other, but he can’t get up!The sluggard is also full of excuses. He always has a reason for not doing the work that needs to get done. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” (22:13).We are meant to smile at this, but we are also meant to be warned about the dangers of laziness. If you are a person who works hard, your natural reaction will be, “This is a message for others but not for me.” Well, not so fast! There is something here for all of us.What is your initial reaction to the sluggard?

“What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart.”Matthew 15:18The Proverbs encourage us to speak in certain ways, and to avoid speaking in other ways. Let’s frame four prayers from the book of Proverbs, asking for God’s help with our words.Lord, help me to speak with restraintThe heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things (15:28).Words pour out of the mouth of the wicked, but the heart of the righteous ponders how to answer. Self-expression is a leading idol in our culture. “I must say what I think. I must say what I feel!” Must you? “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (29:11).Lord, help me to speak with humilityLet another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips (27:2).Lord, help me to speak with wisdomTo make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is! (15:23). What you say may be right, but if the way you say it is harsh, it will do no good. The right word spoken at the right time in the right way is a thing of great beauty.Lord, help me to speak with graceGracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body (16:24). Don’t ever fall for the idea that soft, gentle, or gracious means weak. “With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone” (25:15).Try to take this in: A soft tongue, a gentle tongue, a gracious tongue, is stronger than bone! Grace can change a heart of stone. How did God change your heart? Was it not His grace that won you? Was it not His kindness that led you to repentance (Rom. 2:4)?Lord, help us speak with restraint, humility, wisdom, and grace.Which of these prayers would be most helpful to you today?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue.Proverbs 18:21We have looked at the way of wisdom in relation to friends and family, and today we come to wisdom in our words. There are more proverbs on what we say than on any other subject. The tongue is the means by which we bring the greatest help or harm to others.There is death in the power of the tongueThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts (12:18). The tongue is a weapon that can wound another person deeply. If you carry a weapon that can wound, you have to carry it with great care. Words that burst out can bring deep wounds. You may have felt the power of this: “You’ll never amount to anything.” Death is in the power of the tongue.There is also life in the power of the tongueThe tongue of the wise brings healing (12:18). Christian counsellor Larry Crabb says that as a youngster, he developed a humiliating problem with stuttering. One Sunday Larry found the courage to lead a public prayer for the first time.“Stuttering throughout, I finally thought of the word Amen… said it and sat down… solemnly vowing never again to pray or speak aloud in front of a group.“When the service was over I darted for the door… An older Christian man named Jim Dunbar intercepted me… ‘Larry,’ he said… ‘Whatever you do for the Lord, I’m behind you one thousand percent.’“Even as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears… Those words were life words. They had power. They reached deep into my being. My resolve never again to speak in public weakened instantly.”Can you think of a time when someone’s words brought healing to you? Look for opportunities to bring life to others through your words.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.Proverbs 22:6Remember that the Proverbs are not promises. Still, this is a stunning statement: Your influence in the lives of your children goes deeper than you may think. It will still be with them, even when they are old!The thief on the cross lived his life in rebellion against God, yet he said to the thief on the other side of Jesus: “Do you not fear God?” (Lk. 23:40). Where did that come from? Some awareness of a God to whom we must give account had been planted in his soul.So, if you have a rebel son or daughter, don’t despair. The living seed of God’s Word has been planted. Who knows what God may yet do with it?Your children need restraint as well as affirmation. “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him” (Prov. 22:15). Parents who believe that folly is deeply rooted in the human heart will focus, not only on affirmation but also on restraint.Is the Bible telling us to beat our children with sticks? No! Bible scholar Christopher Wright points to Psalm 23:4: “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Why would David say that the rod was a comfort to him?The shepherd used the rod to fend off wild animals. The sheep had the comfort of knowing that they would not be left at the mercy of enemies that would destroy them. You will bring your children great comfort if they know that you will not allow them to follow destructive impulses.If you have children, ask the Lord to help you bring them up in faith, not in fear. If they are far from God, ask Him to bring them back.

The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.Matthew 7:14Proverbs describes what it looks like to follow Jesus Christ. It lays out the life to which wisdom calls us, the life of a disciple of Jesus.We are going to look at what it means to follow Jesus, what it means to follow the way of wisdom in regard to your friendships, your family, your words, your work, and your wealth.Now, you may be asking, “What’s in this for me? Why should I be interested in this?” That’s a good question.The Bible makes it clear that the path of following Jesus (that is, the path of pursuing wisdom) is often costly. It tells us that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard… and those who find it are few” (Mat. 7:14). But then it also gives us an incentive—this way does lead to life.We often understand these words to mean that living a godly life in this world is hard, but the payoff is that there will be great reward in heaven. And, of course, that is wonderfully true.But, the book of Proverbs draws out another truth that we need to grasp: Those who walk the path of godly wisdom will be blessed in this life, as well as in the life to come (see Mark 10:29-30).Remember, these are proverbs, not promises, but look at the normal pattern that prevails in this world:“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her” (Prov. 3:13-15).Why? We will see three blessings that wisdom brings.Think of three blessings you have already experienced by following the way of wisdom.

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom.Proverbs 3:13Wisdom is the skill you need for putting together a successful life—or to put it another way—wisdom is “life skills.” Over these next days, we’re going to look together at what the Bible has to say on practical issues like friends, family, words, work, and wealth.We will be talking here about the skills of building friendships, raising children, and managing money. We will be considering how to speak in a way that builds others up and about being more effective in your work. So this series will be very practical.We begin with two observations about the book of Proverbs that will help you if you keep them in mind as you read them.1. The Proverbs are proverbsTrain up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (22:6). This does not mean that good parenting guarantees godly children. The proverbs are not promises. They describe a normal pattern that prevails in this world. They do not promise a particular outcome.2. The Proverbs assume a relationshipMy son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments (3:1). The words “my son” occur 23 times in Proverbs. Many of these proverbs would have been spoken first by Solomon (1:1) to his son Rehoboam. “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching” (1:8).But this book is more than the wisdom of Solomon. The book of Proverbs is in Holy Scripture because it is the Word of God. God breathed out these proverbs through Solomon as He breathed out the Psalms through David, or the book of Romans through the Apostle Paul.So, what we have here is God speaking to His own children. A relationship is assumed. Our loving Father is calling His children to walk in the paths of wisdom.In what area of life do you most need to hear the words of the loving Father to you as His child?