How long before you get out of bed?

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You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest! -Proverb 6:6-11 MSG

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Many years ago I had a discussion with my teenage son about the "work standard". I talked to him about the idea that work, not gold, is what makes our currency valuable. Sadly my view is not shared by many who feel that lottery style shortcuts are the way to become wealthy. Whether these trade on Wall Street or pull the one-armed bandits at casinos, they have the same modus operandi - get rich without work. In this proverb Solomon advises against such behavior.

If you are a betting person (I am not), I think that you should consider that the odds favor the tortoise and are stacked against the hare - few people ever hit the Powerball jackpot but many are able to retire comfortably when they accumulate wealth gradually through daily labor and saving. Working hard is a discipline that pays off over time. Solomon tells us that even the ant understand the value of daily work and gradual saving. It is not rocket science.

Help us Lord to be disciplined. Help us to stay away from shortcuts and get-rich-quick schemes.

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