Jump Start # 1281

Proverbs 14:4 “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.”

  Our verse today is fairly straight forward. It’s not one of those passages that you must allow to set on your mind and cook a while before you get it. No ox, no mess. No ox, no money. That’s it. But there is more to it than that. Go beyond the literal and give this plenty of thought. Things worth while take effort and often can be messy.

The easy way isn’t always the best way. What seems so neat and clean can also be unprofitable and a cover for laziness. To have an ox takes work. I’ve not been around very many oxen. I’m a city guy, but I don’t live far from some of the finest race horses in the world. I’ve been several times to see the thoroughbreds of Kentucky. Years ago, I got to see Secretariat up close and personal. It takes a whole team of people to make those horses successful. There is a lot of work. But the all the manpower pays off. Those expensive race horses are the bread and butter of those farms. They aren’t growing corn. They are not raising cattle. They are breeding race horses.

I know a young man that is in the early stages of his medical education. He has years ahead of him. It’s a long and hard road, but he’ll do it and the effort is worth it. This is true of many disciplines today. It takes work. It takes effort. Too many want the revenue without the oxen. They want a clean manger but they want the profit from oxen. This drives the lottery. Get rich without doing anything. Buy a simple ticket, no oxen, no messes, but great profits. I read once that a person is more likely to be struck by lightning SEVEN times as to winning the powerball ONCE. It’s truly a losers bet! Those that succeed in sports know the hours and hours that they have labored to be at the level they are. The same goes for the singer, the musician, the artist. Everyone wants to be the Sunday quarterback on TV. Few are willing to be that football player in the hot August sun training. On stage is wonderful. It’s the hours and hours of practice that keeps most from doing anything.

Clean stalls are nice. Having no messes are nice. But if you want to have success, you need oxen.

For instance, a growing church is that way. New people brings problems. Parking problems. Space problems. Baggage that we all carry. The opposite, no conversions, no new people, means no messes. Some like it that way. Everything nice and simple. Everyone knows everyone. None of those “other” people, whatever that is supposed to mean. Converting people means you have to expand your fellowship. It means you must get to know more people. Some people, most people, have baggage. Some of the children that come with new people have not grown up attending Bible classes. They can be a bit rowdy.  There are classes that must be taught for the new people. So don’t like  all those things. No ox, no mess. But with that thinking, the church gets smaller and smaller with every funeral. At some point it begins to look unlikely that they can continue on much longer. There hasn’t been any messes in a long time, the manger is clean, but there are no oxen. Nothing is going on. There are churches like that.

That same Proverb fits the way some study the Bible. Same lessons. Same class books. Same format. Same. Nothing challenging. Nothing different. Nothing unusual. Nice. Neat. Clean. But the same. After a while, the same can become dull. The same food every night gets old. The same show over and over no longer seems very funny. Put some thought into how you teach and what you are studying. Don’t get stuck looking at the same passage the same way. Clean out the cobwebs in your mind. Try looking at things with fresh eyes. Bring the word of God alive in your life. This takes work. This can be hard. But the good that comes from this is life changing.

Young people need to have goals, ambition, and challenges. It’s hard for some of them to see beyond Friday. For some, their greatest goal is beating the next level of a video game. Get them working. Get them busy. Get them engaged in life. Challenge them with reading. Some hate to read. Challenge them with helping others. Some hate to help others. Challenge them with serving the Lord. Engage them. Use them. No oxen, no messes.

We see that with the young people, but the same fits for us. It’s easy for us to get in the same routine about things. We need challenges. We need to get involved with others. It’s good. The work can be messy. But the good done touches lives.

Is our goal clean mangers or successful farming? Buy a stable and don’t put any animals in it. It will remain pretty clean. Sweep it out once in a while, dust it now and then, and that stable will look as fresh and clean as the day it was built. But is that the purpose of a stable? It’s meant to house horses. Horses, like oxen, make messes. The stalls must be cleaned out often. They need feed. They have to be groomed. The vet must see after them. Lots of things to be done. Not for the lazy. Anyone can have a clean manger. Even this city guy can do that. But to have profit, you need the oxen. That, takes work.

This is what this verse is driving at. Whether it’s saving money, getting a college degree, working an extra job to save up a down payment, burning the midnight oil to learn God’s word, effort, hard work, muscle all pay off in the long run. There are no short cuts. Stay with it. Work hard. Have a goal. Include spiritual goals.   Studying to teach a class. Working on a lesson to deliver. Developing the character to serve or lead God’s people. Work hard. Work long. The effort is worth it.

Roger