Ecc 7:14: In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
When one considers life’s changeable circumstances, it is a temptation to be anxious. When we remember that it is God who determines our days of prosperity and days of adversity, we can leave the matter in His hands. We can focus on our present duties, rather than worrying about what may occur in the future.
Pro 14:23: In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury.
It is profitable to focus on the duties that the Lord sets before us, and to work diligently in our callings. It doesn’t matter if the work is menial, repetitious or unnoticed. We can do our work with the Lord’s assurance that there is profit in it. Another consideration is that we can trust the Lord with our finances, if we are diligently working, for He has promised profit for labor.
Thinking about Pro. 14:23b, “. . . the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury,” reminds me of another favorite verse: Jam 1:22: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (emphasis added)
As the common saying goes, we must “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk”. We must show, by our works, that we love the Lord and the brethren:
Jam 2:17:Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.