“Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.” – Proverbs 24:27
My wife and I really enjoy the show, “Gold Rush: Alaska”. In the show, several guys, in debt up to their eyeballs and out of work head up to Alaska to try their hand at gold mining. The show to us in an accidental comedy; it’s not supposed to be funny, but to us it’s hilarious for reasons described in this Proverb. They arrive to the gold claim and have limited time to set up camp and get mining before the Alaskan winter shuts them down for the season. Several of the guys take days and weeks to set up this elaborate camp, with beautiful camp homes that have every possible convenience.
The entire time they are doing this I was hollering at the screen, “GET BACK TO MINING!”
Of course, they take their time and are JUST about to get some decent gold as they run out of time and the Alaskan winter shuts down their operation, well short of the financial goals they need to meet. It was amazing that as the weather began to change and the end of the season was imminent how focused they became. They mined 12-16 hours a day at the end but it was too little, too late after wasting literally months screwing around doing anything but gold mining.
This is like so many of us. Instead of being focused on the task at hand, we get busy taking care of our own house. I can’t tell you how many folks I’ve watched have one good season or year in their business go out and buy a palace for themselves. Instead of investing back into the business to make it stable and strong, they get busy building their own house and taking care of themselves. In the meantime, their bread and butter melts down, with the sound of their construction project still lingering in the air.
Jesus told us:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33
We’re called to seek FIRST His Kingdom, not our own well-being. His job is to take care of us, our job is to pursue the Kingdom. If we were as focused on working HIS Harvest field as we are in taking care of ourselves, all that we need would be GIVEN to us!
LIFE LESSON?
You’re a harvester, not a home-builder.
My wife and I really enjoy the show, “Gold Rush: Alaska”. In the show, several guys, in debt up to their eyeballs and out of work head up to Alaska to try their hand at gold mining. The show to us in an accidental comedy; it’s not supposed to be funny, but to us it’s hilarious for reasons described in this Proverb. They arrive to the gold claim and have limited time to set up camp and get mining before the Alaskan winter shuts them down for the season. Several of the guys take days and weeks to set up this elaborate camp, with beautiful camp homes that have every possible convenience.
The entire time they are doing this I was hollering at the screen, “GET BACK TO MINING!”
Of course, they take their time and are JUST about to get some decent gold as they run out of time and the Alaskan winter shuts down their operation, well short of the financial goals they need to meet. It was amazing that as the weather began to change and the end of the season was imminent how focused they became. They mined 12-16 hours a day at the end but it was too little, too late after wasting literally months screwing around doing anything but gold mining.
This is like so many of us. Instead of being focused on the task at hand, we get busy taking care of our own house. I can’t tell you how many folks I’ve watched have one good season or year in their business go out and buy a palace for themselves. Instead of investing back into the business to make it stable and strong, they get busy building their own house and taking care of themselves. In the meantime, their bread and butter melts down, with the sound of their construction project still lingering in the air.
Jesus told us:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33
We’re called to seek FIRST His Kingdom, not our own well-being. His job is to take care of us, our job is to pursue the Kingdom. If we were as focused on working HIS Harvest field as we are in taking care of ourselves, all that we need would be GIVEN to us!
LIFE LESSON?
You’re a harvester, not a home-builder.
wow dude. just wow.
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