Episode Transcript
If you take God's precious word and turn the book of Proverbs chapter 10
Proverbs chapter 10 God willing will be expounding verses 4 and 5 tonight
Proverbs chapter 10 verses 4 and 5
The title of message tonight is this hand was made for you and me
You've ever heard that song before this land is your land. This land is my land
so
That's where the title of this message come from tonight because it's catching you can remember it
But as this hand was made for you and me last Wednesday night
We learn the wonderful truth that God will not allow the soul of the righteous to famish
Which often means that God will fill the righteous
With his grace and give them more in heavenly grace than they lose in earthly supply
But while on earth God does sustain the righteous
Physically, he gives us our physical bread
Jesus taught us to pray give us this day
Our daily bread so we know that God takes care of his own
we know that that is the will of God and
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 31 and through 33
Jesus told us therefore take no thought saying what shall we eat?
Or what shall we drink or where with all shall we be clothed? He's not saying don't plan
He's saying don't fret
He says for after all these things to the Gentiles seek
For your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all these things
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you a
Lot of times we look at that and we put the emphasis on the word first seek first the kingdom of God
But the way Jesus was speaking there
He says the Gentiles seek after these things
You seek after God's kingdom you seek after God's righteousness
While they're seeking to get their belly full and to make sure they have plenty of earthly provision
You seek to make sure that God's will gets done and that you're walking all pleasing of his will on earth
And he'll take care of you
The the Gentiles are fretting
therefore they're seeking
provision
We need to be trusting
Seeking God's will and we'll get the provision
so
That's a wonderful promise that God does not suffer the righteous to famish in that sense
Thank the Lord so we should trust God to supply our physical needs while we're here on this earth
Because we have assurance from Christ that our Heavenly Father knows those needs thus he's going to meet those needs
but at the same time
Jesus let us know that there are some principles of
Individual responsibility that we must apply to this promise
This is what's important for us to understand tonight in this verse for example
We must seek God's kingdom and righteousness first
Meaning we must put God's kingdom agenda first in our lives
for when we have God in our
Lives in that rightful place that God should occupy as being the preeminent
First place in our lives then everything else will fall into its right place
When we put God first
He will be in the position of leading and providing and we will be in the position of being led and provided for
Here's a kingdom truth for you tonight
Bible principles
Must always be applied to Bible promises. This is a good one for you to remember for the rest of your life
Bible principles must always be applied to Bible promises
Don't just take a promise
And say well, here's a promise from God
We always bank on it
because Bible principles guide
Bible promises and how we
trust in them
Suppose you own a bakery
Like I don't know something like if he's cottage or something just make a name up off the top of my head
Suppose you own a bakery. I'm just kidding for those watching online. We actually have a lady that owns a bakery named Effie's cottage here
and I own a small chain of local restaurants and
as a restaurant owner I
Tell sister Elizabeth I promise
To do several thousand dollars worth of business with you every month sister Elizabeth
If you'll supply my restaurants with bread fresh baked bread
That'll be a good signature thing that we offer at my restaurant
And you like the idea sister Elizabeth likes the idea of having that steady income stream from my businesses
But to gain even more profit
Because she likes that money
To gain even more profit
She decides to fire her Baker
right
And keep all the money for herself
Now I'm not gonna break my promise. I won't keep my promise
But by firing your bakers
You're not gonna have any bread to sell to me, right?
And
So that means you'll have no money coming in because I'll have no bread to
Buy I'll have no bread to sell you'll have no money to get in return
So as business principles must be applied to business promises
So Bible principles must be applied to Bible promises in verse 4 tonight is a good
Bible principle for us to apply
In verse 3 we were told God will not suffer the righteous to famish. That's a Bible promise in verse 3
But verse 4 says look in verse 4 now. He become with poor that dealeth with a slack hand
He become with poor that dealeth with a slack hand now the word slack
Speaks of a hand that fails to do its job. I
Don't know if y'all if they still use the term much today, but I know I've been in work before and
If someone doesn't do their share of work
Some of the co-workers may call that person a slacker
Y'all still use that you got any slackers at the gerrymene house when it comes to bacon bread for every Scottish
Yeah, yeah some slackers
But when you call them a slacker and that's the idea with this slack hand that the hand is failing
to do to provide
what it was put on that body to do and the Bible says a person who deals with a slack hand is a
Person who is a slacker that is becomes poor
now
There's a lot to be learned in this verse a
Lot we need to take heart to take take to heart and the first thing we need to take to heart is that it is a
sin
to be a slacker
It's a sin to be a slacker the Bible says God will not suffer the righteous to famish. That's a promise to be trusted
But then the Bible says a slacker will become poor
That's a principle to be applied. You see how that works. God will not suffer the righteous to famish. That's a Bible promise
But whoever deals with a slack hand will become poor
That's a Bible principle. The promise is to be trusted. The principle is to be applied a
Man can't lay around the house and play video games all day like a lot of young men like to do
Because he's too lazy to work and then tell his family it's okay
The Lord will provide
The Lord will not suffer the righteous to famish
Laziness is
unrighteousness
dealing with a slack hand is
Unrighteous
So if you're lazy don't expect God to bless you and say well, he's not going to suffer the righteous to famish
Don't expect God to bless your slack hand expect yourself to become poor because that's what's going to happen
And this brings us to another great truth in this verse
which is
destitution is the
natural course of man
hearing that
Destitution is the natural
irreversible course of
Every person in this world. You don't have to do anything to become poor
You don't have to do anything to become destitute
All you have to do is sit around and do nothing its
Destitution poverty is coming to you. You don't have to work to become poor
You have to work to keep from becoming poor and no matter how hard you work
eventually
destitution the natural course of destitution which was brought on the human race on account of Adam
That natural course of destitution will run its course in you will lose everything you've ever worked for
It's going to happen
We come into the world
Naked and with nothing in our hands nothing to our name in
Every one of us no matter how hard we work no matter how much we say no matter how
Financially savvy we are every one of us
Leave the same way
So
destitution is the natural course of
Man when a person thinks about retirement
All they have to do and what they do is they do the math how much money do I have?
And how many years do I expect to live more?
How much do I need every year figured on inflation and all of that and
You figure it in and you'll know how much money you can have a month if you if you live that long
Or if you need a certain amount, you'll know what age you'll be when you your money runs out
And I write my saying y'all done it right you've got Edward Jones and all that you've gone through all of that
I know Rick and Glenda's gone through all you've gone through all of that
And
No matter how many years you expect to live
Eventually that money is going to run out
You see we are consumers by nature we consume
We consume food and water
We consume energy we consume goods and services and in order for us to consume these things
Someone must produce these things
Which means someone has to work
to produce them
the goal of going to work each day is
to always try to produce a
little more than you consume
Each day each week each month each year
You go to work hoping and intending to produce a little more than you consume that year
And then hopefully
Within so many years of
Producing more than you consume you keep putting back the extra above and beyond that you've saved and hopefully you'll have enough
to build live off of
When you get too old to work or too sick to work
each and every day
Poverty hunts us down
Each and every day you get up poverty is
Hunting you down and we have to work to try to stay ahead of it
Hopefully we can keep a few paces ahead
Hopefully maybe you can get a lap around it, but if you slow down
Poverty is gonna catch up and it's gonna overpass you. It's just going to and
This brings us to another great truth in this verse namely
By God giving you a set of hands, how many of y'all have a set of hands in here today?
And I know there could be someone that's that was born maybe without a hand or maybe without two hands or something like that
and but and that's a but that's
An exception to the rule
But you'll still see those stubs
You'll still see the design that God made even that person
And by God giving you a set of hands your personal set of hands
Whose choice is it what you do with those hands?
It's yours
It's yours
And by God giving you your own personal set of hands God made you personally
accountable for
Producing what you consume?
Here's a kingdom truth for you tonight
each man deals
With his own hands now you're seeing the title of message come from
This hand was made for you and me
Each man deals with his own hands
Solomon said he become with poor that dealeth with a slack hand look back in your text
But the hand of the diligent maketh rich
Which means it gets ahead of poverty
God gave you a set of hands and it's your choice
What kind of hands they'll be
You're the only
Person who can decide if you're going to deal with a slack hand or if you're going to deal with the diligent hand
You can't so a brother Richard
God did not gift me with a diligent hand. I was born with a slack hand. No, you weren't
You may be slack in the heart
But you're not slack in the hand that hand does whatever that head tells it to
God did not give you a slack hand
God gave you a set of hands and it's your choice
What kind of hands are going to be I can't deal with your hands and you can't deal with mine
Only you can make your hand diligent and only you can make it slack. I
Hate seeing a man with a good set of hands
I
Will get personal now. I
Hate seeing a man with a good set of hands
Or a woman with a good set of hands if she don't have a man to provide for
Complaining because they don't have enough money because they're on a fixed income
That doesn't work
Just because you get a mailbox check
You know what a mailbox check is everyone know you girls know what a mailbox check is
That's a check that comes in the mail that it gets
Deposited into your account that you don't have to work for it. Just comes automatically. Those are good checks
I'm not I mean hey, I'm all for mailbox checks because typically you have to work to get them unless you're
Scamming the government or something like that and there's plenty that get those
But just because you get a mailbox check
Doesn't mean you don't have a responsibility to meet your needs
I retired
2014
from the state I
Got a mailbox check every month to get a mailbox check and it's the same dollar amount
Every month, do you know what that means? I'm on a fixed income
Boy don't you feel sorry for me sit down. I'm on a fixed income I
Am
The day I retired from the state I
Was on fixed income
You know what
When I was working for the state, I was still on a fixed income because they paid me the same every month and
I never could understand why there would be people
Who were still healthy?
Still had plenty of work left in them and I'd listen to them. They'd say oh
You know, we got to help oh so-and-so are we all I need some little I need some help, you know, I'm on a fixed income
Well, I'll fix your income get out there and get to work. I
Want to fix it if I took that attitude in
2014 I could have just said well, I just live off this. Yeah, I tell you it's not enough me live off of it's not I
could just live off this right here and
And then anytime anytime something comes my way that I don't have money saved up for I could look out for someone else to
To help me out and just say, you know, brother fool, you know, I you know, I'm on your passes on a fixed income
No way now, we don't need to do that
If you have a good set of hands here, here's a catch one for you. You ready?
Healthy hand should be a diligent hand a
Healthy hand should be a diligent hand not a slack hand
So instead of complaining about being on a fixed income I
Put these hands to work and by the grace of God I fixed my fixed income a
Functional hand a healthy hand should be a diligent hand the fact that God is giving dishonor
to the slack hand and
He's giving honor to the diligent hand shows us that God desires us to be
individually responsible
diligent
workers every one of us
Now this brings us to another great truth in this verse and I can't remember if I mentioned it in here or not
I know I did next door
But I really really respect what brother Eddie and sister Anna Marie did they were on fixed incomes
And it got to where it wasn't stretching because of inflation
And you just heard him in the prayer quest pray for me. I'm gonna take in the test for bus driving
Next Thursday Lord willing
Do you know what that means?
He said hey, I
Got a healthy hand. I'm gonna make it a diligent hand. I want to fix ten come I'm gonna fix it
And God will honor that it's honorable and I respect that very very much
Here's another
Truth in this verse remember God is shaming his dishonoring the slack hand. He's honoring the diligent hand
And so that means this wealth earned by diligent hands are
honorable riches
Wealth that is earned by diligent hands are honorable riches. It's honorable wealth
Generally speaking God doesn't want Christians to live in poverty
Understand we all suffer understand. There's gonna be trials tribulations persecutions
Understand the law of the Apostles suffered poverty. I may suffer poverty tomorrow
There are times when we all must suffer as believers in whatever comes our way we stay faithful
but generally speaking
The Bible is showing us tonight that God would rather
You be diligent and rich to be negligent and poor
So don't be envious of people who've made good decisions in life and save their money
That's that's something that that some Christians have problems with
They some Christians they make do they make poor decisions when they're young
They get older. They don't have anything and then they look down on other people who made good decisions when they were young
They save their money up. They had diligent hands
And don't don't look down on those people
If God gives them honor for working hard for their money then so should we
Now let's look at another financial principle in verse 5
He that gathereth in summer is a wise son
Man I love these proverbs
He that gathereth in summer is a wise son. Let me tell you why that's wise
If you ever planted a garden, you know the time you gather is in the summertime
You don't gather in the winter. That's when you rest
That's when the ground rests. You don't gather in the spring. That's when you plant
You gather in the summer and so if you gather in the summer you're wise, right?
Summertime is harvest time if you try to reap your fruit too soon, it won't be ripe
You try to reap your fruit too late. It's going to be spoiled or the animals are going to get it one the two
So here's what we learned from this
gathering is a
seasonal thing
You letting this soak in
Gathering is a seasonal thing and a person who gathers in the right season is
wise a
Wise son gathers in the summer look back in your text
But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that calls us shame
So here we see honor in wisdom for gathering at the right season and here we see
dishonor and shame for not gathering in the right season for
Resting when you should be gathering there's dishonor for that see
It's honorable to gather wealth in the right season
It is shameful to not gather wealth
When it is available to gather
That's what we're learning here tonight
in verse 5 underscore
gathereth
Gathereth
Now underscore sleepeth
Sleepeth
Let me tell you something. I love my sleep
If I don't get if I don't get the right amount of sleep, I get grumpy. I don't function well
I got to have my sleep
Sleeping is much more pleasant than gathering. Would y'all agree with that?
In the morning God willing my alarm will go off at 545 a.m.
That's okay, I'm used to it it'll go off at 545 a.m. When it does I
Get up. I pray I get ready for bed ready for work
And an off I go and I push myself through the sleepiness and I get on to work
and by 730
Before 730, I'm already checked on and on at work getting my uniform on and I'm ready to go
730
after commuting
almost an hour to work
Sleepings much more pleasant than gather. There's a lot of times. I
Just rather leave that alarm off and just sleep till I just wake up naturally
Sleeping is easier than gathering. I had paperwork to do today. I had stuff to do today
Gatherings hard work
And then then when I when I when I get home, I
Don't I don't stop working when I get home since I get home
I eat and then I go to my study and I start doing church work
And I work till this bedtime did every night
Gatherings hard work
But God expects us to gather our wealth in the summer
So we can sleep in the winter you see what we're getting out here
God expects you to gather your wealth in the summer
So you can sleep in the winter?
Because you know brother Shepard and I we both have very similar
Jobs, they're both law enforcement related jobs
and either one of us could be called on to use physical force at any time in our jobs and
Because of that our jobs are time-sensitive
They're age sensitive. I
Don't want to be or I brother Shepard sure don't need to be 65 years old
Out on the highway stopping cars and wrestling with some drunk or something. Would you agree that brother? Yeah, who wants to do that?
You know what that means it means as a law enforcement we have shorter gathering seasons shorter times to reap
Than others do in different types of jobs
Some
People get burned out at work. How many of y'all ever suffered burnout at work?
Just one
Two you look at one here. Yeah, no one wants to say oh, yeah
They see the longer more hands go up for everyone goes. I'll be honest to her goes. Yeah, I've suffered it
I've suffered it. It's human nature
and sometimes we get burned out at our jobs and
In a lot of people especially when they get in their 40s
They get the feeling of you know, I want to slow down some I want to coast some and I totally get that I
Totally get that I totally understand that
But a slack hand makes a poor man
If you retire in your 40s or your 50s and you live into your 80s or your 90s
Then you will more than likely
Outlive the money you've earned
Your slack years will consume your diligent years
So as long as you're able to work, especially in an economy like we have today
And you should work while you're able
It doesn't mean you got to get up and put in 40 hours each week if you just to stay on top
You know what if if if you're far ahead, you know in the race and poverty is way back there
You don't have to run as fast to stay ahead of poverty a lot of people they'll go get a little part-time job or something low stress
Go deliver parts in a pickup truck. Whatever. I don't know something low stress
And you're able to stay ahead of the curve
If God gives you a harvest time though
Then
Harvest while there's time
If God gives you a harvest time
then harvest while there's time a healthy hand should be a diligent hand a diligent hand will be an honored hand but if you're
Resting when you could be working then you will suffer shame in your winter years
instead of sleeping
When the cold frost of your older years come on
You'll have to turn to working or begging and neither one of those are good in the winter time
Well that will go ahead and stop tonight
Man, I love wisdom. I love it a
Christian Christian should be the wisest people on earth if we'll learn God's Word dig into it and apply it
Boy will be so much better off father. We thank you so much for your precious word
Thank You father for these wonderful people here today
Thank You Lord for giving us your truth
Thank You father for giving us hands to work with to provide with in
Truth to guide those hands
And Lord we know father Lord that destitution is the is the the the course father of
fallen humanity
But we thank you father that you do give rest to your beloved
If we'll apply these principles Lord we can rest
When the winter time comes
And Lord we know no matter what in the end we will fully rest when Jesus comes
And we thank you for that then there'll be no more toil
Will work but not by the sweat of our brow
But the joy in our faces in Jesus precious name we pray, please give everyone a safe trip home tonight
We pray again for every prayer request that was mentioned in Christ's precious name. Amen
