Worthless Pursuits

Proverbs 28:19

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits
will have plenty of poverty.

Whoever goes to work each day and labors diligently will see the produce from his labors. Whether he be the farmer who works his land or the office worker who manages his projects, if he works conscientiously he can expect fruit from his labor.

What of the one who "follows worthless pursuits"? He also may expect a return for his labors - poverty. Why? The primary reason is that he has shifted his energies from productive work to fruitless labor. The hours that could have been devoted to productivity are wasted in the other pursuit. Furthermore, what he pursues is likely to cause him to lose what he has. He invests money in pursuits that not only fail but create greater debt.

What are these worthless pursuits? They are pursuits that seem worthwhile. They may be get-rich schemes that promise quick returns. They typically promise good income with minimal labor. They promise to be fail-proof. They promise to work for anyone. They make the same pitch that Satan made to Jesus - gain the world without the cross. Gain wealth without the labor.

Jesus did not disdain the world. Indeed, he did gain the world but did so the right way. He labored, even suffered, to gain his rule. Likewise, the proverbs do not disdain wealth, just the means by which we go for it, such as through worthless pursuits or unjust means. Wealth should be the byproduct of a productive life, not the goal for which we live. Or we should have a broader understanding of wealth, which rests not so much in possessions as in quality of life - a life blessed with a good name, that is respected and experiences love, that blesses others. That is true wealth which can only be gained by worthwhile pursuits.