Proverbs 14:23 RA Mere Talk

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Proverbs 14:23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. I used to own a restaurant in Prague Oklahoma. We had an extra large round table where coffee drinkers would congregate every morning. The round table became notorious as a place we would look forward to setting together in fellowship. We did what most people do over a cup of coffee; we talked. We talked about how people in our culture try to get the most for themselves by doing the least they can for others. We talked about how politicians buy votes by promising more to those who work less. Yes, and as we talked we solved many of the Worlds problems. We fixed Congress, straightened out the office of the President, we fixed the Nation, straightened out our State and our Town… Ironically, we said all the government did was talk, talk, talk and how they never got anything profitable done… and so we discussed how wrong everyone else was and how we would do things different if we ruled the world… and things would be oh so much better.  Some would drink a cup or two of coffee and leave for work. Others whether retired or with no job would continue to get free refills until the worlds problems were solved for that day, they got bored or the lunch crowd came in. I assume many left for the day to retire to their couches. Though I’m sure many of these men made great impacts for good in life, the fact is that we are all prone to talk the talk instead of walking the walk. A person who does no more than talk not only makes no money but also is not productive in his deeds. A person who is motivated and self disciplined is prone to action and increase. If we are quickened and propelled by God through Jesus we will actually love others in deed instead of merely talking about it.  You know, to profit spiritually is the best kind of profit a person can obtain. You might say “Yes I know work brings profit. But what about in Salvation? Didn’t Jesus do all the work for us?” You might even quote Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. You are correct but the work still had to be done… it’s just that Jesus did the work for you. Where you sinned he never sinned even once so he could impute his righteousness to all who believe… and its his righteousness in us that works righteousness as we are led by the Spirit. In relation to our own salvation, work and righteous Spiritual profit are tethered having being connected to deeds through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Notice how Paul didn’t have the option to stay home on the couch if he wanted to see people come to Christ but rather Christ motivated and quickened him to work hard. 1st Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. So the truth stands that only those who get up off the couch or out of the chair or up from the table and are motivated to move for righteousness will be profitable to our World, our Nation and our Families for the glory of the Lord.

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