All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
— Proverbs 14:23
Have you ever met someone who thought their talent or calling was enough to help them make it? Just curious, how are they doing? That’s a bit snarky, but you see lots of people who think that if God has given them a call, he will also just make a way. Maybe that’s true, but I’ve never seen it. The truth is that both talent and hard work are important for success.
Talent can give you a natural inclination or aptitude for certain tasks, but it’s not enough on its own. Hard work, on the other hand, helps you develop your skills, refine your abilities, and turn your talents into tangible results.
The verse above emphasizes the importance of hard work in achieving success. Think of talent as the raw material you have to work with and hard work as the effort you put in to mold that raw material into something valuable. Even the most talented individuals may not reach their full potential without hard work.
Talent can give you a head start, but it’s hard work that helps you turn that potential into actual success.
Success can’t be achieved through sheer luck or circumstance but rather through consistent and dedicated effort.
The key to success is to take the necessary action to make things happen, not just by idle talk but by putting in the effort to make it happen. Hard work, dedication, and perseverance will always bring profit and success in the long run.
Maybe you feel called. Maybe God has given you a talent. What should you be doing to develop those skills so God can use them?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, we thank you for the reminder in Proverbs 14:23 that all hard work brings a profit. Help us understand the importance of putting in the work to achieve success. Give us the determination, dedication, and perseverance to work hard, even when things don’t seem to be going well. And may we always remember that success is achieved through hard work and not by mere talk. In Jesus’s name, amen.