Proverbs 10

Last Thursday on my radio show I mentioned that our computer at home was out of commission, comparing the situation to not having a refrigerator. I'm not sure it was the greatest comparison, but the ol' PC has certainly become a vital tool and resource within our home for a myriad of reasons. Needless to say, I'm back. I've been catching up on some of the thoughts of other "Proverbers" (or is it Proverbists?) in our group such as Frank, Steve and Rose. I decided to pick up with my comments starting with chapter 10 rather than backtracking, though I have been reading. Not surprisingly, I've found it a challenge to be consistent with this but today is a new day and here I am!

Proverbs 10
⁴ He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
⁵ He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

As I read these, a few thoughts came to mind. For me, it is possible to be very busy and get little or nothing done. I am good at coming up with ideas and perhaps even fair at recieving them from the Holy Spirit. When they're coming from Him we sometimes refer to them as promptings. At any rate, I would venture to say that anything that is truly good, ideas or otherwise, can be traced back to God Himself. In other words, He ought to get the credit for the inspiration or the ability to be imaginative and creative.

Does it seem funny for me to say I can be busy and still get little or nothing done? I have a feeling many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. I believe the hand of the diligent (v.4) speaks to one who works intentionally and efficiently. We know that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6). The problem is that far too often my seeking is not very diligent. My willingness and power to seek Him have a tendency to be sapped of energy as my attention is drawn to other things. As a result my seeking, well-meaning as it may be, is rather divided and distracted. I would certainly apply this to my daily devotional time with the Lord.
Deep down I desire to focus my energies and affection on the Lord, to make Him my utmost priority every day. When I don't, I falter big time. My attitude deteriorates, my words can begin to be unpleasant and my productivity for Him all but dries up. Certainly I want to be rich, bearing fruit and storing up great treasure in heaven. Shouldn't we all desire such?

I realize a busy hand can still be a slack hand if it is not being used properly or efficiently. My desire is to use my time better, doing the things I'm supposed to be doing. Quite frankly, I can spend a lot of time surfing the web, reading articles on practically everything under the sun from sports to politics to nature and spiritual topics. Even when I sit in a chair (not the computer one) to open my bible I have a tendency to get distracted and end up reaching for a magazine, newspaper, CD or whatever. Maybe I need to set up a room with nothing but a chair in it!

I want to be wise, busy gathering when it's time to gather, when the fields are beginning to yield a harvest. Jesus told His disciples the fields were already white, or ripe, for harvest. He tells us we are to be laborers and beyond that, to pray for more laborers for the harvest is great and the laborers are few.

I'll sum up with a verse from Psalm 90 that I think ties things up quite nicely:

¹² So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

It's all about redeeming our allotted time. It's about using it wisely. This is my meditation for today.