TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Morning Manna - September 25, 2025 - Proverbs 12:24-28 -Diligence, Encouragement and the Way of Life

Episode Date: September 25, 2025

In today’s Morning Manna, we study Proverbs 12:24–28, where Solomon teaches that hard work leads to leadership while laziness leads to servitude, that anxiety bows the heart but a good word lifts it, and that the righteous serve as guides while the wicked mislead. We learn the importance of valuing what God provides and walking the path of righteousness that leads to life. These verses remind us that diligence, truth, and encouragement shape both our daily walk and our eternal destiny.Teachers: Rick Wiles and Doc BurkhartYou can partner with us by visiting FaithandValues.com, calling 1-800-576-2116, or by mail at PO Box 399 Vero Beach, FL 32961.MEGA FIRE reveals the ancient recurring cycles of war and economic collapse that have shaped history for 600 years. These patterns predict America is now entering its most dangerous period since World War II. Get your copy today!www.megafire.worldGet high-quality emergency preparedness food today from American Reserves!www.AmericanReserves.comIt’s the Final Day! The day Jesus Christ bursts into our dimension of time, space, and matter. Now available in eBook and audio formats! Order Final Day from Amazon today!www.Amazon.com/Final-DayApple users, you can download the audio version on Apple Books!www.books.apple.com/final-dayPurchase the 4-part DVD set or start streaming Sacrificing Liberty today.www.Sacrificingliberty.com

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Morning Manna for Thursday. We are delighted to have you with us here today to study the Word of God. I want to remind you that tomorrow is Faith Friday. And we will continue our series called Boat Faith. We will also have the Lord's Supper tomorrow. So please join us and have bread and your choice of grape juice or red wine available for tomorrow's Morning Manna. Bible study. Today we're going to finish up chapter 12 of the book of Proverbs. We're looking at verses 24 through 28. I'm going to pray, invite the Holy Spirit, then Dr. Burkhardt will read the scriptures and we'll begin our verse by verse study of Proverbs chapter 12 versus 24 through 28. Our Father in heaven, Father, thank you for this day. Father, we give you glory and honor. praise. And Father, we are gathered here as your sons and daughters to be taught by your Holy Spirit to understand wisdom. So, Father, you have promised to give us wisdom if we seek it and we are seeking and we are receiving wisdom in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. And we're so glad that you're here with us here in this live edition of Morning Manna. And from where we are and the four corners of the earth, Russia, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, the UK and Ireland, daily checking in Germany as well. We appreciate you tuning in across the U.S. and

Canada, too. God bless you. And welcome the morning, man. We are reading in the Proverbs chapter 12, and I'll be reading verses 24 through 28. And I encourage you read along with me and read out loud wherever you are if you're able to. And I believe in reading the scriptures out loud, and I encourage you to do so too. It's good to get the word of God on your lips. And we've been talking about words and lips all this week, and so this fits right into this. Verse 24 in chapter 12, the hand of the diligence shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be under tribute. Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop, but a good word maketh it glad. the righteous is more excellent than his neighbor but the way of the wicked seduces them

the slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting but the substance of a diligent man is precious in the path of righteousness is life and in the pathway thereof there is no death praise god what a promise that is there amen no death verse 24 Proverbs 12 verse 24 The King James The hand of the diligent shall bear rule

But the slothful shall be under tribute World English Bible The hands of the diligent ones shall rule But laziness ends in slave labor The Aramaic

Peshita translation the hand of the mighty will rule and the deceitful will be under tribute and then the last one the Septuagint translation the hand of chosen men shall easily obtain rule but the deceitful shall be for a prey right

well we'll go with the King James because that's what I built my lesson on well it just Perhaps that's what I did, too. That's good. Okay. I built my lesson around the King James. So the hand of the diligent shall bear rule.

Let's start with the word diligent. It means steady, persevering, faithful, someone who shows up. You can count on that person. They're dependable. They're diligent. So we're being taught that diligence leads to influence. It leads to responsive. to authority to prosperity you know more than one successful famous person has said 80% of their success

was just showing up and what that means is they persevered they were diligent right they were they were working their business their career their plan whatever it was they were working a day in and day out when they felt like it and when they didn't feel like it when times were good and when times were not good they were diligent and eventually it paid off so it's just it's just the way it is that that diligent men and women will rise to the time and sluggards will fall behind sluggards dream about these positions of influence but they're unwilling to put the labor into it where they may put some labor in but they're unwilling to go the extra mile yeah and that's that's what diligence really means it means going further than you're

expected to that's right so hard work earns respect it will you'll be rewarded with positions of trust and responsibility opportunities open up to people who are diligent for an employer a business owner a CEO and they have an opportunity to give to somebody who are they looking for inside their organization those who are diligent those who are faithful they're not sitting in their corporate office saying now who's the laziest person we've got in this company let's let's give that person a promotion no they're saying who's the hardest working person who's the most dedicated who's the most loyal let's get those people together and choose one so faithfulness in little things

brings promotion to bigger things. And that's what Jesus said in Luke chapter 16. You'll be promoted. So, but it says, the slothful shall be under tribute. What does this mean under tribute? They will be in poverty. They will be in subjection,

the rest of their life. they'll be under heavy taxes heavy subjugation they will not have the freedom of movement that industrial industrious people have right in ancient times lazy people became servants to landowners right and or they became servants to to lenders because they couldn't pay their debt and they ended up becoming a servant. But in today's, yeah, go ahead, Doc. No, I'm going to say, it's interesting that the modern translations translate this word as deceitful. But the King James translators, they translated this as lawful.

For me, there's no contradiction here between these two because there is, They're used both ways in the Old Testament. But I would say this. A lazy, slothful person is also a deceiver. They're deceiving their employer. They're deceiving their family and they're deceiving themselves. Right. the Hebrew word is this for slothful is it means slackness

laxness a slacking but it also remains it also doc means deceit yes it's it's the same word it is pronounced Ramea yeah Ramea the Hebrew Ramea. And, Doc, also, this is where we get the word guile. Oh, okay. Well, there you go. So there's deception. There's treachery.

There's trickiness, I guess. Is that the right word trickiness? It is now. It means false idol. Look, isn't this interesting that the, the ancient. in hebrew word had it encompasses all these modern english definitions that a lazy person the word used to describe a lazy person also described a deceitful person who is full of guile right who is treacherous it's the same spirit right Well, let me ask you this, Rick, and you and I've been around the block once or twice.

Have you ever met an honest, lazy person? Think about that. Have you ever met an honest, lazy person? No. And have you ever met a hardworking liar? I've met people who work. I've met people who work hardworking liar. I've met people who work hard at a lot.

lying. Yes. But I've never met a hardworking liar. That's a good point. Doc, in, you know, I was saying in ancient times, lazy, slothful people ended up becoming slaves or indentured servants to people landowners and lenders. But in modern times, lazy people are dependent on government subsidies. They're still slaves. The government and the political parties, the politicians have them. And hey, if you just keep voting for us, we'll keep giving you money. We'll take it from the honest people who are working.

And we'll give you government checks. But they're lazy. They won't work. and they're a drain on society but there's somebody else that has to work and pay for it right so diligent people in today's world diligent people are forced to pay taxes

to subsidize lazy people who won't take care of themselves right one of the sad unfortunate things about laziness is wasted opportunities. Amen. Opportunities come by and they're too lazy to grab it.

And what are they going to do if they do catch it? Because an opportunity requires work. Requires action. It requires action. I've never had an opportunity that was easy. nothing is easy nothing that is worthwhile is easy

but when you consistently lose opportunities you're also losing your freedom you lose liberty that's right that's what this verse is telling us the loss of your freedom the lazy man or woman

is ruled by others but the diligent man and woman rules himself or herself Right So it's ironic that the sluggard the lazy person avoids labor but ends up in bondage

They give up their freedom because they're unwilling to exert any labor see their laziness is not free they want everything free but the laziness has a price that price is their freedom yes slavery let's see what the Matthew Henry had to say about it did they have lazy people in the 1600s this is what Presby ministerian matthew henry said industry will make men rich and bring them into reputation and dominion

but slothfulness will make men poor and subject i guess doc they had lazy people and hardworking people in the 1600s i guess so well we'll check here uh in the early 1800s this charles bridges Diligence is God's law of advancement. Sloth brings men into bondage. Industry makes them rulers. Albert Barnes, a Christian leader in the 1800s, he was born in 1798, he said, the contrast is between the mastery gained by diligence and the servitude brought by sloth. so there's a contrast we see in the proverbs mastery of life gained by diligence servitude brought about by sloth

Alexander McLaren the diligent man gains authority the idle man sinks into slavery the one rules his life the other lets life rule him that's good I like that I knew you were going to like that one Doc when I picked that one I knew you're going to like that one I don't like that one are you going to

rule your life or you're going to let your life rule you that's right we are not free church of scotland diligence makes a man his own master sloth makes him another servant work is the price of freedom that's a good one too yes Verse 25. Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop, but a good word makes it glad. The World English Bible says anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad. And then the subtoogent says, a terrible word troubles the heart of a righteous man, but a good message rejoices him. Yes. So let's take a look at this.

The King James translated the Hebrew word. They translated it into heaviness. The Hebrew word is the aga. Deaga. Am I saying it right? You got it. That's close enough. Say it again?

Diaga. Okay. Deaga. Yeah. Which means careful. fear heaviness sorrow anxiety anxiety worry grief that burdens their inner man and no one is necessarily completely free of anxiety you know even the most righteous person can encounter anxiety but this verse gives a solution for that anxiety

Jesus said don't let your don't let your heart be anxious so when I find myself being anxious I have to take control of my mind I find times in my morning prayer or my evening prayer

just before going to bed and I'll find myself I start thinking about something as I'm praying and all of a sudden I feel myself getting nervous. Right. I've been there too. I just slipped out of your piece and started

thinking about a problem and I got nervous. I turned this over to you, Lord. I'm not going to be anxious. I'm going to go to bed. You plan to stay up all night. You think about it. Yeah, you're going to be awake anyway, Lord. That's the way I look at it.

He's planning to stay up all night anyhow. let him think about my problems and when I get up in the morning I'll be happy so what does anxiety do it weighs us down we have a heavy heart

we're discouraged we have fear of loss right we feel like we're we're at risk of losing things something bad will happen

but look that anxiety affects your entire your entire being it affects your mind your body your spirit yes a lot of it affects the body it literally does when you are

in excessive worry or excessive anxiety your body releases cortisol and cortisol will impact your joints. It'll impact how your muscles react. And the problem with cortisol, it creates a feedback loop. And the more cortisol that's released, the more worried you feel. That's the more anxious you feel. And that creates more cortisol. And so that's why when you dwell on a problem or a situation, or you really get anxious, continue to dwell on it, without breaking that loop that's in you, you go deeper and deeper into it.

And so there's a physical reaction to your body to anxiety. Yes. And you've got to get to a place where you just say, you've got to stop blaming another person or other people for making you anxious or making you depressed, making you sad. You've got to stop blaming them. Right.

Are they doing things to you? Yes. Are they stinkers? Yes. Don't let them make you depressed. Amen. Don't let them. make you anxious keep your joy up that's the most important thing you can do is keep your joy in

the lord and in time you'll you'll start to change your thinking but a stooping heart it shows the power of what cares inside of us that will crush out our outward strength our outward physical strength will be affected by inward anxiety now faith faith does not deny anxiety does not deny heaviness but faith learns to cast your cares upon the lord first peter chapter five verse seven casting all your care upon him for he careth for you. Philippian chapter four, verse six, be careful for nothing.

The peace of God shall keep your hearts. Amen. That's the good word there. Amen. I'm not joking when I tell you that I say to the Lord at night. I pray for things. I pray about things in my life. You know, things that are pressing upon me.

But I don't go to bed stressed out. I go, Lord. I'm sleepy. I'm going to go to sleep. I'm so glad you're awake all night. And I'm going to cast my cares on you because I have faith that you're going to solve these problems. I'm going to cast my cares upon you and I'm going to go to sleep and I'm going to rest because your word says that you give sleep to your beloved and you love me. and I'm going to sleep and I'm going to rest. And I don't know how you're going to solve these problems,

but I'm not going to worry about it. And that's what it means to cast all your cares upon the Lord. But it says a good word, makeeth it glad. Now, the Hebrew word here used for good, good word, is Tove, T-O-V-E. Darber Tove. That's good. word so it means beautiful cheerful gracious pleasant sweet joyful joyful kind merry all those happy words

right so a happy word makes people glad right that's what it means a merry happy happy cheerful word makes people glad right it brings encouragement it bring it stirs up strengthen people people it lifts burdens the Bible says that King David strengthened himself right well how did he do that I think he just started talking about almighty God yes the promises of God yes I think he started telling people what God had done in his life

I can imagine King David saying to somebody did i ever tell you about the giant i killed yes yes david i've heard the story i know but did i ever tell you what he said to me as he was going down on the ground no i never heard that part of the story well let me tell you okay i think david just told these stories over and over did i ever tell you about the bear i killed with my hands yes sir i've heard that story i know but did I tell you about pulling his whiskers out? You know, I think David told his stories over and over and over. And by the time he finished telling the story again, he's like, hey, bring me a bear.

I'll show you. I'll show you how it's done. I still got it. Yeah. He encouraged himself. He strengthened himself. He encouraged himself in the Lord. And so we can encourage ourselves.

and we can encourage others. That's right. And that's why being in communion, not only with the Lord, but with others, is so important too. Because sometimes we need a good word spoken into our hearts

and into our lives. I know I've asked people, I like to say, what's the good word? And, you know, it's an old country saying, what's the good word, my friend? And I think it relates back

to the good word. this but sometimes we need somebody else that we're in communion with another believer to speak into our lives and tell us the good things that God is going to do for us and to remind us of the promises of God because sometimes you know that word stoop that's there in just about every other place in the Old Testament when that word is used the Hebrew word for stoop it means to come down into worship to bow down and worship. I thought, how strange that this word here bow down and worship. But have you ever been so beat down by anxiety and worried that you were just faced down on the ground, that you

were just about to give up? And yet someone spoke a good word in your life. And in a moment, changed everything. Amen. Doc, and this is one of the stories I've told before, but I encourage myself when I tell it when I had COVID in 2020 and I was extremely sick and Susan was sick and oh yeah that's right she was sick at the same time it was bad I was the sick as I've ever been in my life and barely could function I'm when I I'm not exaggerating uh Doc I had um i could barely walk from the living room to the bedroom wow i was out of breath i was so weak i could barely get to the bedroom and the night before i went to the hospital i was really starting to get very afraid i don't say afraid but i was i don't want to say i was afraid i was

aware that I could die I was aware of it and I remember thinking is this is this how it ends I'm going to die of a flu I'm going to be laying in my bed and I'm going to die of a flu is this it this is how it ends what a bummer

I don't want to do this you know but that's what I was thinking it because I was so weak I received a phone call maybe around 8 p.m. No, it was dark. It was dark. So it was later, it was summertime. I had COVID some of there.

I think there in June. So it was around 8 or 9 p.m. I got a phone call from a friend in Colorado. He used, oh, ourselves, we're still good friends. We just haven't seen each other in over 20 years. But we talk by phone, but we've not physically seen each other for 20-some years, probably longer. We only – he usually only talk on weekends. I don't remember him ever calling me on a weeknight at 8 or 9 p.m.

And so I saw the phone call coming in, and I answered it, and he said, Rick, what's wrong with you? He had no idea. And I said, why did he ask? He goes, because the Lord is dealing with me by you. What's wrong? And I said, man, I am really sick. I am really, really sick. Doc, he said, four words.

No, six words. He said, you will not die. You will live. He said, you will not die. I guess seven words. You will not die, but you will live. You will not die, but you will live. And he kept saying it over and over and over.

Rick, listen to me, you will not die tonight. You will live. When that call was over, I couldn't get those words out of my mind. I opened up my Bible and my Bible fell open to Psalm 118 verse 17 and David said I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord

God had given me a word to hold on to that night and I went to bed that night quoting Psalm 1118 verse 17. I shall not die. I shall live and declare the works of the Lord. The next day it was taken to the hospital. I had COVID and pneumonia. And in the hospital, I kept saying, I shall not die, but live. I shall declare the works of the Lord. The word of God encouraged me. I encouraged myself by quoting the word.

But my friend called and quoted the word and got it inside of me. I don't even think he knew that he was quoting Psalm 118. I don't think so. I think he just said, Rick, you're not going to die. You're going to live.

But he was actually quoting scripture. So when we talk about words of encouragement, the best words of encouragement are the words of Jesus Christ and they his words will bring peace to troubled minds and troubled hearts let's see what the commentator said Matthew Henry care in the heart weighs it down and sinks it but a good word from God's mouth or friends makes it glad Praise God.

Adam Clark. Sorrow makes the heart stoop, but the good word of God lifts it up. Alexander McLaren, the heart bent beneath anxiety is lifted up by the good word. Speech has the power to wound or heal. And William are not.

Care makes the spirit stoop. A good word is medicine to it. Let us remember to administer such medicine to one another. Verse 26. So again, you know, if you remember, our words are seeds. Yes. How do you get words spoken to you of encouragement? Will you first speak encouraging words to others?

Yes. You're planting the seed. It will come back to you when you need it. Amen. And if you want to have a really impact ministry in your life, you don't know what to do. So I can't be a missionary. I can't be a preacher. I can't do all these things.

Well, take on the mantle of speaking a good word. I'm telling you, just that ministry alone, if that's the only thing you ever had, you don't have to pass out tracks, you don't have to, you know, go to the hospital and visit folks or anything, although I encourage people to do that, but just having a good word. you mean have a happy ministry yeah i still remember i was pastor in a church up in gilman city missouri and we had a lady in our church you know one of those older ladies she wore the prairie dress and had her hair in a bun and everything but that woman sister coleman never had a frown on her face i mean never had a frown on her face she always had a word no matter who it was, you know, I still remember, you know, when you're a young preacher, sometimes your sermons aren't the best in the world, okay? Just, you know, you put your heart and soul

into it, but nobody's reacting to it. No, you know, you're just, people aren't responding and everything. And I still remember one Sunday after church, Sister Coleman comes up and says, brother burkart i just want you to know you're getting better and better all the time that was her way of saying it wasn't that good but i'm improving but you were better than last week that's right and she let me know it and so and she came back for next week too she was always there and she always had an encouraging word and uh you know there's a real ministry in that rick a real real ministry and it's not hard have to be an ordained minister you don't have to be a pastor an evangelist or anything else to be happy you can be an ambassador of happiness the world is dark the world is

depressed everywhere people are depressed without hope you can go throughout the day and just speak kind words to people it's amazing i i had the same thought doc about a pastor in a town where I grew up, a little town. We didn't live in the town, but it was a small town. We lived out in the country, but Doc, he was just the happiest, just the happiest pastor you'd ever meet. Always had a corny joke every time I ever met him,

you know, when I was running around smoking dope and drinking and everything, you know, 19, 20 years old, he knew it. He knew it, but he never condemned me. He'd always, he'd say, hey, Rick, come here, I've got a story to tell you, okay? I got a joke to tell you. Hey, you want to come to church Sunday? All right.

See, and he would go, I heard that he would go into the hospitals every day of the week, Doc, seven days a week. Really? He did hospital visitations seven days a week. now he also owned a store i don't know where the man got all of his energy he had a store but he was in the hospital seven days a week and he didn't just visit members of his congregation he would go down the hallway and just go into rooms and say hey i've got a good word for you i'm here to pray for you i'm here to give you something

from the lord and he would just cheer people up amen I like that. Yeah. Just a ministry of happiness. So we get back here to verse 26. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor, but the way of the wicked seducat seduceth them. The new King James, and that was the old King James.

Now, the new King James says, the righteous should choose his friends carefully. for the way of the wicket leads them astray. Hmm, that's interesting. Okay. The American Standard Version says the righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicket causes them to err. And the pashita says that same thing there too.

So. It says the, oh, I don't have the pashita with me. It's got the same translation. Yeah, it says the same thing. I like the way the Situagint does it too. It says, the righteous investigates his friend, the way of the ungodly leads them astray. So it's talking about discerning your friends here, isn't it? Yes. Yes. So the King James Version, the righteous is more excellent than his neighbor. It means noble, discerning, upright, in conduct.

And so the right, the, the core message of this verse is righteous men and women exercise discernment in their relationships. Right. They pick and choose who they are going to have relationships with. Right. Why? Because when God desires to bless you, he'll send a person. and when Satan desires to destroy you, he'll send a person. Don't make it easy for Satan.

I've done that in my past. Did not use discernment. Allowed people come into my life. I say, oh boy, this is trouble. They've got to go. You've got to use discernment. A faithful person, a righteous person, the more excellent person. becomes a guide and an example to his or her neighbors.

That's right. This is not talking about pride. This is not saying, hey, I'm better than you. I'm more excellent than you. It just means God's grace has shaped their character. Right. So think about your circle of friends right now, who you know. Who is the righteous one among them?

Is it you? is someone else is someone else guiding you or are you guiding others that's right question you you are either influencing somebody else or somebody else is influencing you amen but the way of the wicked seduces them it the way of the wicked is deceptive it draws people in to sin what have we learned in the book of proverbs men and women entice people through flattery

through greed, through corrupt pleasures. Right. Nothing's changed over thousands of years. It's the same game. The path of the wicket is not neutral. They actively seek to mislead

and to drag other people with them. Sin seeks company. it's just that wicked people don't walk alone yeah wicked people have crowds they have plenty of friends yeah so-called friends yes but it looks on the surface it looks like wow must be cool to be that person but that air that they create it look at look at all the people around me that's what pulls others in and that's where they get trapped

the commentators Albert Barnes The righteous is cautious in his choice of friends showing wisdom The wicked are misled by their own way and mislead others William are not the righteous is more excellent being governed by truth The wicked mislead for their path is crooked and they draw others in And then Robert Horton, righteousness is noble and uplifting. Wickedness is seductive and misleading. The one attracts upward, the other downward.

Verse 27, the slothful man roosteth not that which he took in hunting, but the substance of a diligent man is precious. The world English Bible says, the slothful do not roast their game but the diligent make use of the riches of the hunt right and the american standard version says the slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting but the precious substance of men is to the diligent amen this word slothful that you used here is the same word that she used up in verse 24 Deceit for it.

Lazy and deceitful. So the slothful man does not roast that which he took in hunting. This is interesting because this person had enough

energy to go hunting. But, but but he was too lazy to prepare the animal that he shot. He didn't follow through halfway. I think this refers to people that do things halfway. Well, you started, but you didn't finish. I see you started to paint, but you never finished painting these are people who begin but they never finish you got to finish

don't let the project just lying there if you begin a project finish it begin a job complete it. This is a person that went out hunting, had enough energy to go out in the woods and hunt, shot an animal, took it home, and then allowed it to rot.

Yeah. Even though he needed the food. And Doc, he needed the food. He allowed it to rot rather, he was, it doesn't make sense. You need the food, you go out in the field, you shoot the animal, you

drag it back to the house, and then you're too lazy to dress it and cook it. And yet you need the food. Yeah, wasted opportunities. That's it right there. Wasted opportunity. Wasted blessings. God allowed a blessing to come your way, and you just let it rot. Slotfulness turns

opportunities into lossfulness. You lose the opportunity. Sloth turns provision into loss. Yes. The lazy person gains but doesn't enjoy because he won't finish the job. it's it's neglecting to complete what is begun

look spiritually this applies to people who hear the word of god but are too lazy to apply it in their life right they heard it they went to church they they went to a meeting they heard the word but they never apply it right that's half-finished discipleship you have to complete the assignment when you hear the word of god being preached you have to put it into practice but the substance of a diligent man or woman is precious the diligent man or woman they value they enjoy what they work for what they labor for

it's precious to them it's a treasure it's a treasure and they're grateful for the opportunities they're grateful for provision and they're not going to waste what was given to them diligence turns fruit in i mean excuse me diligence turns effort work into fruit and then fruit is turned into blessing look you can you can plant fruit trees you can water them and fertilize them and nourish them and they get bigger and they start producing fruit and you pick the fruit but if you never can it if you never bake a pie if you don't do anything with the fruit what was the purpose in the tree right the missed opportunity

the wasted opportunity see this is what this this proverb is about why did you go through the effort and then not finish it why didn't you get the blessing at the end you did all this effort going towards the blessing

and then you just stop you don't complete it how many people fall short of taking advantage of the blessing i know yeah the devil put something in their way it just takes a small thing to trip them up but even small gains are treasured by the diligent you know hey i earned this i worked for it the diligent make they make the most of god's gift and nothing is wasted you know and part of that too is our gratefulness for what's being provided for us the diligent are grateful for what they have the slothful the deceitful they give no honor to god for the blessings that come in their life

even if they work for it even if they put effort into it I'm thankful for what God provides for me in my life. I'm thankful for it. I'm blessed in that. But the deceitful, the slothful, they have no regard for the blessings of God in their life. So they're, you know, so really the slothful man, the deceitful man is really just telling God, you know what, I don't appreciate what you're doing for me. how horrible basically is what it is yeah doctor generosity and frugality are not um opposites right or let's say how are we in phrases they're not in opposition to one another right right you will find that

generous people are also very frugal frugality is not the same as stinginess generous people people who just freely give and bless people in their private lives they're frugal look i can tell you right now You asked my wife, Susan, she would say, she'd roll her eyes and say, oh, believe me. He doesn't want to waste anything, especially about food. I'm generous, you know. I don't have a problem giving.

I love giving. But, Doc, when it comes to the things I have bought, I'm going to get the most out of it. Yes. And you know what? You're following Jesus's principle. Because Jesus, after he fed the 5,000, he said, gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing... Amen.

Gather up the fragments that remain. You know, we don't think about it. We just think, well, he fed those people. Well, more than that, he said, you know what? We're going to stretch this out. Let's gather up the fragments. We'll feed more people. So, Doc, I wonder what a miracle leftover meal.

tasted like i bet it taste i bet it tasted better than the original they had leftovers they had a leftover meal because jesus said he's showing them i did this miracle for you but and and you had more than enough right but don't let it lay there in the grass and just throw it away let's take this food you'll need this food I mean, you want to see frugality. You ought to see me getting the last little squeeze of toothpaste out of a tube. I'll show you frugality. Are you one of those that, well, after you're done with squeezing everything out,

that you cut the toothpaste tube in half and put the toothpaste in there, my wife, Mia, does that. You saw me do it? My wife, Mia, does that. Bless her. Hey. I let her do it. too. I don't fight it.

Well, you can get another two or three days use out of that. Yeah, that's the way she thinks about it. That's the way I see it. There's a principle there. There's a principle that we ought to be grateful for it. God has provided for us and not throw away what the blessings that God has given to us. That's right. Because the things that you save give you an opportunity to give to somebody else.

Amen. Why waste something when you could give it? And when you're giving it, you're planting a seed, and you're going to have more come back to you. Matthew Henry, the slothful will not take pains to enjoy what he has taken, but the diligent improve what they have and make the best of it. Adam Clark, the slothful man, waste even what he, gains, the diligent man turns all to

advantage. Charles Bridges, sloth waste God's blessings. Diligence makes them precious. What is gained by labor is rightly valued. Amen. Alexander McLaren, the proverb sets the waste of sloth against the wealth of diligence. Oh, I like that one, Doc.

The waste of sloth against the wealth of diligence. The one throws away the other treasures. William R. Not, the slothful loses by neglect what he gained by effort. The diligent saves and sanctifies his substance, finding it precious. So let's look at what Arnaud said. The slothful loses by neglect.

what he gained by effort he went out into the forest by effort he expended energy and he gained a deer but he lost the deer because he brought it back to his house he was too lazy

to dress it and prepare it he lost what he gained right what was the point in even going out into the forest And then Robert Horton, the proverb condemns wastefulness, born of laziness, and commends diligence, which esteems every blessing as precious. I'm going to tell you something, folks, and this is not meant to be to cause fear. but the same feeling that I had back before 2008,

the same feeling where the Lord was telling me, there's a severe financial storm coming, prepare for it. I have that same feeling. I've not had it for years. I have it now. And I am, personally, I am preparing for the storm. I'm preparing for the storm. And over the next two to three years, there are going to be people who right now take for granted the food that they have in their house.

Yeah. Who throw so much food away, throw it away by the trash canfuls. Food, waste it, waste it, waste it, waste it food. I'm telling you, two years from now, some of those people are going to be trembling with their hands to put a fork to their mouth. Suddenly all of that blessing, they had so much blessing they could waste it. that's what this is teaching you got so many blessings you just waste it that's a slothful person

but the the diligence says every blessing every little blessing is precious be prepared for what's coming the last verse 28 in the way of righteousness is life and in the pathway thereof, there is no death. The Peshita, Aramaic Peshita, in the way of righteousness is life and the way of the angry is unto death.

Yeah, I caught that. Isn't that interesting? The way of the angry person is death. And then subterigent in the ways of righteousness is life, but the ways of those. those that remember injuries lead to death. Yeah, or those that seek revenge. See, that's the angry and the revenge. Yeah.

That's where that's, so I would go with the Shita and the Septuagint. The way of the angry revengeful person leads to death. Have you got revenge on your heart? If you're angry about something somebody did and you've got, you're thinking revenge it says you're going to it's leading you to death right in the way of righteousness is life what is the way of righteousness it's it's it's a life governed by the word of god and by the holy spirit and innocence life here is more than physical your you know your body, your breathing, your mind.

It's your spirit. It's your vitality, your joy, your health, your fellowship with God. It's life. It's all the good things of life. In the way of righteousness, there is life. Jesus said he came to bring life and to bring it more abundantly. I've got life for you, but listen to me. I've got abundant life.

So righteousness guards us from ruin. It provides stability. It provides peace and blessing in our lives. It leads to abundance, not just survival. God's plan for your life is more than just enough. It is a blessing.

But you need to not waste. to waste his blessings but the pathway there and in the pathway there of there is death and in the pathway there of there is no death in what pathway the way of life in the way of life there is no death

life and death you can't have the two together no death means no ultimate destruction no eternal separation from god death in its truest sense means to live forever separated by god wait a minute i thought you said i'm dead yes you're in death your soul will live forever in death separated from god so our our physical body of the righteous we may face physical death but we don't face the second death right death has no sting for those who are living righteously through christ right The wicked are born once and die twice.

The righteous are born twice and die once. Amen. You got to ponder that one, folks. Think about that one. That's a great thought. Let's look at the Alexander McLaren. The way of righteousness has life at every step and leads to life everlasting. Death is not in it.

for its end is God himself. William are not. Life is the atmosphere of righteousness. Death is absent from its path. The righteous walk in sunshine that grows brighter to the perfect day. And then Robert Horton. The path of righteousness is life-giving and life-preserving. There is no death in it, for death cannot conquer.

where God's life rules. Amen. Amen. Good stuff. Well, Doc, that's all I have for. That's it. That's it. That's it.

We covered a lot of ground. We did. And, you know, it just goes on to, you know, tell us here that these, you know, diligence, encouragement, the way of life that we live, you know, all these things make an impact in our lives and the way that we interact with others. God only wants the best for us and he's got a plan for us. And if you'll take the words that we taught today and apply it to your life, just this day, God will do some great things. I want to remind you that if you haven't picked up Rick's book yet, Megafire, please do so. It's available on megafire.org

dot world megafire on the website is all one word but www megafire dot world and get your copy of this everybody's getting their copies this week and so and we've been getting a very positive response on it and just want to encourage it that you know discern the times discern the season that we're in and megafire will be a great book as a resource for you to be able to kind of be diligent like we talked about here in our lesson today the diligent will prepare for the changing seasons and seasons are about to change in a big big way don't i feel this is this is unusual for our morning man a bible study i feel prompted by the holy spirit to tell people get busy canning

it's late in the season. You may still have access to fresh produce. Right. Get busy canning what you can right now. I just felt that from the Holy Spirit. If you don't know how to can, you need to learn now. Yes. You need to buy canning jars.

If you don't have canning jars and lids, you better buy it now. I'm telling you a year from now, it may be almost impossible. to find canning jars learn to can learn to preserve food uh get a dehydrator get to do things be diligent with what you've got food that have left over can you dry it right start saving food to make beef jerky do things the season is going to change be diligent but i i felt very strongly to tell people you need to get serious about canning food well someone needs to receive that word today and act on it and i bet they will get reports from people say rick i today i went out and did exactly that and so you'll know that's from the lord then so amen all right well tomorrow is faith friday we continue our series on

boat faith. And so we encourage you to tune in with us live at 8 a.m. Eastern time here on the East Coast. But it's also the day that we honor the Lord's table, the Lord's Supper. And so we invite you to make preparation for that to be with us tomorrow to participate in the Lord's supper with bread and either red wine or grape juice. And as we, I always get who can participate in communion. If you're a confessing believer in Jesus Christ, you've been baptized in water according to scripture, we invite you, and in fact, we encourage you to participate in the Lord's table. Please do so. Let's celebrate our fellowship of faith around the Lord's table on tomorrow's Faith Friday. Amen. Amen. Be bless everybody. We'll see you tomorrow. God bless you. We love you.

Thank you.