PEARL OF WISDOM:

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.”

PROVERBS 28:19

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WHAT 4-LETTER WORD has the power to turn your fantasy into reality? W-O-R-K. This is a simple concept, but surprisingly easy to overlook, especially for people with lots of ideas.

Sometimes we can become so infatuated with our ideas, and so proficient at developing elaborate plans that it can feel like we are really working and making progress. And while vision and imagination are always the start of something big, unless we follow up with real action we are merely...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.”

PROVERBS 21:13

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In can be overwhelming to consider the needs of those in poverty around us, let alone all around the world. When we consider our own lack of ability to meet the world’s great need, it can be easy to tune out, especially when life’s daily demands compete for our limited attention. The needs of those in poverty simply begin to fall on deaf ears.

But as women of faith called to lives of purpose, Christ is continually transforming us into His likeness. As such, He shares with us His...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.”

PROVERBS 20:18

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IT’S EASY TO SKIM OVER THIS PEARL OF WISDOM and move on to the next verse, thinking this one applies only to those waging war. But the truth is, life is a battle. It’s easy to sugarcoat or even deny this truth, especially if we are ensconced in lives of material abundance. Solomon was familiar with this human tendency when he wrote, “The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety” (Proverbs 18:11). But the truth is those...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”

PROVERBS 23:20-21

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WHEN BLESSINGS FLOW YOUR WAY do you consume them them while the gettin’s good? Or do you find a way to let them move through you and towards the work of the Lord? Your answer has the power to stop the flow of abundance or increase it.

One problem with the popular Law of Attraction is that it teaches people to desire more blessings instead of teaching us to desire more of God. Its advocates instruct us to...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on.”

PROVERBS 16:6

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TAKE NOTE: HUNGER DRIVES PEOPLE ON. Our appetites work for us. For such a brief statement, this pearl of wisdom offers powerful keys to unlocking God’s economy and creating lives of abundance.

For centuries hunger motivated the majority of laborers. Yet hunger is a source of motivation all but unknown to many of us in modern Western society. Food abounds. So much so that instead of striving to get it, we resolve to avoid too much!

Yet gnawing away in us is a deeper hunger. Most likely this...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief.”

PROVERBS 24:33

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WE ARE ALL PRONE TO EXCUSES. One of our favorites is that we simply “don’t have enough time in the day.” But time is the one resource of which we all have been given an equal portion.

If your life runs at full speed, and you simply don’t have enough time to take action on the big vision that God has put before you, I have a very simple solution to propose:

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Wake up one hour earlier.

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I can almost hear the excuses now. Why? Because just...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.”

PROVERBS 17:24

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THIS PEARL OF WISDOM REMINDS ME OF AN OLD SAYING: “The eyes are the window to the soul.” I have always thought of this saying as shining light on our ability to see into a person’s heart just by looking into their eyes. But today’s proverb illuminates the other view: that if our eyes are indeed windows, then the view is taken in by both sides.

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What we look at with our eyes colors the shape of our soul.

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So what are you looking at? Fools are...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.”

PROVERBS 10:22

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WORK AND WEALTH do not have a one-to-one relationship in God’s economy. This is because there are some riches gained through no labor of our own, only God’s blessing. And it is also because God has given us with a heart after His own, which finds pleasure, not pain in the work of service and creation. Understanding these two concepts can unlock abundance.

Let me share one of my favorite verses with you from The Book of Ephesians that gives insight into God’s economy:

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“I pray that...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

PROVERBS 3:9-10

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The Bible counsels us repeatedly to give. But why?

It's absolutely true that God is able to do amazing things to further Kingdom work through the generosity of the faithful. So there are external realities coming to life through giving. But what about internal ones? As women called to business, it is important to understand Kingdom economics. And it is even more important to understand our own relationship...

PEARL OF WISDOM:

“A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.”

PROVERBS 26:15

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A FEAST IS SET BEFORE YOU. All day you have worked to gather the freshest ingredients and arrange a perfect presentation. Finally the moment has come. You reach for a bite from your food-laden plate and…

Nevermind.

You can’t be bothered with one…more…step.

This scenario, just like Solomon’s Proverb that inspired it, seems totally ridiculous. Until you realize we do this all the time. Maybe not with food, but with tasks that are even more important, with great...