Proverbs 12: 11-12
In every moment we have a chance to be a good steward: in your career, your relationships, your finances, your free time. What are you doing with what you have? End results are a reflection of what occurred in the process, also meaning that the work input determines the quality of the output. Chapter 12 of Proverbs gives us more instructions on the effects of how we live.
11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
The one with, not just some, but plenty of food is the one who is called a hard worker. The worker’s abundance is correlated to the quality of his work. Yet, the contrasting person, the one who chases fantasies is also one that lacks sense. Of the two which one is stewarding his resources well? Which one is rewarded for the way he lives? God blesses those who take care of what they are given and do not waste it.
12 Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot,
but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.
A thief’s entitlement draws him to steal instead of work to satisfy his needs. With brooding envy, comparison breeds jealousy and causes us to stray from what God has for us. But as Proverbs shows us, the godly are centered and carry a different perspective. Instead of looking to their neighbor in envy and desiring to take what they feel they deserve, the godly work hard with what they have to multiply and satisfy their own needs. By bearing their own fruit, they no longer have to look outward to satisfy their needs.
God calls us to steward what we are given and he will provide plenty. When we root ourselves in him and keep our focus on His will for our lives, He will fully satisfy our needs.