Serve our land
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough! Proverbs 18:29
The Hebrew word "tills" also means to serve, work, worship, and appears over 290 times in the Old Testament. As the key verse today illustrates, if we are diligent in our work, we shall have plenty of bread to eat. Meanwhile, those who are idle and pursue vanity and do not work on our land will be "filled" with poverty.
The verse says everyone has his own land. Regardless of whether God has called us to work as a business owner, employee, building our family and ministry, we need to remain faithful to our own land.
However, we can be tempted by worldly temptations not to cultivate our land due to vain pursuits or even follow vain men. There is a possibility that we leave our land idle and go to someone else's fields in pursuit of vanity, which ultimately leads to poverty. Likewise, the prodigal son ended up in perishing from hunger for pursuing in vain, whereas his father's house had bread enough to spare because his father served the land.
Moreover, when we serve the land, we ensure a good harvest with sustainability and don't exhaust our land irresponsibly. Another analogy is to nurture the hens that lay golden eggs and not slaughter them for a one-time gain. In order to "serve" the land well, we must apply the principle of stewardship, which yields sustainable and long-term rewards.
It is possible to deplete our land if we treat it for selfish reasons, such as maximizing benefits for short-term gains without considering its long-term productivity. Work serves only to pay our bills or make as much money as possible without concern for its welfare. A similar principle applies to churches, which need to nurture the land instead of just consuming it.
The Hebrew word for till, serve and work share the same root meaning, so the spiritual principle applies when we treat our work, ministry, and any assignment with servanthood. In serving a company (the land) and doing what is best for the company, the land itself will provide good harvests and rewards, which is mutually beneficial.
When God calls us to the field, let's take good care of it with a stewardship mindset, so that we will have plenty in heaven and on earth.
Blessing prayer: Thank you for blessing us with our land to serve, giving us the right attitude and stewardship to honor you. In Jesus' name, Amen
