Scriptures From Proverbs that Teach Us How to be Successful in Our Job

The book of proverbs is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It is filled with wisdom and down-to-earth advices that need to be heard and taken into mind and heart. Will it be great to read the mind of the wisest man on earth and translate the lessons we learn in our daily life? Thus, reading the book of Proverbs will help you be a better person by understanding wisdom and making better choices in life.

proverbs-key-to-livingIn this article, I am going to enumerate 20 scriptural passages from Proverbs about work. What should really be our attitude when it comes to our job and career? During this tough economy where more and more people are getting poor, it is imperative to us to once again examine the book of Proverbs and learn how to be successful in our work.

Read this list and you will surely have a new perspective on how to be effective in earning a living. You will also get a glimpse of what really works and what doesn’t. Join us now as we read Proverbs about being successful in earning a living.

1. Proverbs 6:6-11

6Go to the ant, you lazy man! Observe its ways and become wise.

7It has no commander, officer, or ruler

8but prepares its provisions in the summer and gathers its food in the harvest.

9How long will you lie down, lazy man? When will you get up from your sleep?

10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

11and your poverty will come on you like a bandit and your desperation like an armed man.

2. Proverbs 10:4, 5, 26

4Lazy hands bring poverty, but hard-working hands lead to wealth.

5Whoever harvests during summer acts wisely, but the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.

26As vinegar is to the mouth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy person to those who send him.

3. Proverbs 12:11, 14, 24, 27

11Whoever tills his soil will have a lot to eat, but anyone who pursues fantasies lacks sense.

14By his fruitful speech a man can remain satisfied, and a man’s handiwork will reward him.

24The diligent will take control, but the lazy will be put to forced labor.

27The lazy person does not roast what he has hunted, but diligence is one’s most important possession.

4. Proverbs 13:4, 12, 17, 19, 22

4The lazy person craves, yet receives nothing, but the desires of the diligent are satisfied.

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Laziness will result to poverty.

12Delayed hope makes the heart ill, but fulfilled longing is a tree of life.

17An evil messenger stumbles into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.

19Fulfilled longing is sweet to the soul, but avoiding evil is detestable to the fool.

22A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the wealth of the wicked is reserved for the righteous.

5. Proverbs 14:4, 23, 35

4Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean, but profits come through the strength of the ox. 23In hard work there is always profit, but too much chattering leads to poverty.

35The king approves the wise servant, but he is angry at anyone who acts shamefully.

6. Proverbs 15:19, 26

19The lifestyle of the lazy is like a thorny hedge, but the path taken by the upright is an open highway.

26The appetite of the laborer motivates him; indeed, his hunger drives him on.

7. Proverbs 17:2

2A prudent servant will rule in place of a disgraceful son and will share in the inheritance among brothers.

8. Proverbs 18:9, 15

9Whoever is lazy regarding his work is also a brother to the master of destruction.

15Laziness puts one to sleep, and an idle person will go hungry.

9. Proverbs 19:24

24The lazy person buries his hand in his dish and doesn’t bother to bring it back to his mouth.

10. Proverbs 20:4, 13

4A lazy person doesn’t plow in the proper season; he looks for a harvest, but there is nothing.

13Do not love sleep or you’ll become poor, keep your eyes open and you’ll have plenty of food.

11. Proverbs 21:5, 7, 25-27

5Plans of the persistent surely lead to productivity, but all who are hasty will surely become poor.

7Devastation caused by the wicked will drag them away because they refuse to do what is just.

25What the lazy person craves will kill him, because his hands refuse to work.

26All day long he continues to crave, while the righteous person gives without holding back.

12. Proverbs 22:13, 29

13The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the street!”

29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will work for kings, not unimportant people.

13. Proverbs 24:10, 27, 30-31

10If you grow weary when times are troubled, your strength is limited.

27First do your outside work, preparing your land for yourself. After that, build your house.

30I went by the field belonging to a lazy man, by a vineyard belonging to a senseless person.

31There it was, overgrown with thistles, the ground covered with thorns, its stone wall collapsed.

14. Proverbs 24:32-34

32As I observed, I thought about it; I watched, and learned a lesson:

33“A little sleep! A little slumber! A little folding of my hands to rest!”

34Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber, your need like an armed bandit.

15. Proverbs 25:13,19, 28

13Like cold snow during harvest time is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes his masters.

19A bad tooth and an unsteady foot—that’s what confidence in an unreliable man is like in a time of trouble.

28Like a city with breached walls is a man without self-control.

16. Proverbs 26: 16

16The lazy person is wiser in his own opinion than seven men who can give an appropriate response.

17. Proverbs 27:18, 23-27

18Whoever nurtures the fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever obeys his master will be honored.

23Keep well informed of the condition of your flocks and pay attention to your herds,

24because riches don’t endure forever, and crowns don’t last from one generation to the next.

25When the grass disappears, and new growth appears, the mountain spices will be harvested,

26the lambs will supply your clothing, and your goats the price of a field.

27You will have enough goat’s milk to drink and to supply your household needs, as well as sustenance for your servant girls.

18. Proverbs 28:19

19Whoever works his farmland will have abundant food, but whoever chases fantasies will become very poor.

19. Proverbs 29:19, 21

19By mere words a servant will not be corrected; even though he understands, there will be no response. 21If you pamper a servant from his childhood, later on he’ll become ungrateful.

20. Proverbs 30:25-28

25Ants aren’t a strong species, yet they prepare their food in the summer.

26The rock badgers aren’t a strong species either, yet they build their dens in the rocks.

27Locusts have no king, but they all swarm in ranks.

28Spiders can be caught by the hand, yet they’re found in kings’ palaces.

20. Proverbs 31:13-19, 21-22, 24-25, 27

13She seeks out wool and flax, working with eager hands.

14She is like a seagoing ship that brings her food from far away.

15She rises while it is still night, preparing meals for her family and providing for her women servants.

16She evaluates a field and purchases it; from the proceeds she plants a vineyard.

17She clothes herself with fortitude, and fortifies her arms with strength.

18She is confident that her profits are sufficient. Her lamp does not go out at night.

19She works with her own hands on her clothes—her hands work the sewing spindle.

20She reaches out to the poor, opening her hands to those in need.

21She is unafraid of winter’s effect on her household, because all of them are warmly clothed.Go-To-The-Ant-Cover-Photo

22She creates her own bedding, using fine linen and violet cloth.

24She designs and sells linen garments, supplying accessories to clothiers.

25Strength and dignity are her garments; she smiles about the future.

27She looks discretely to the affairs of her household, and she is never lazy.

These are some of the proverbial scriptures that we should be reading regularly so that we will have the motivation to carry on with our work. We have the full confidence that we will be successful in our work when we keep these Proverbs in mind and apply them in our daily lives; simply because the words written here are inspired by our Father and Creator who knows how to make life works.

I hope these verses will not just fall on deaf ear, but each of us will strive to grasp its real meaning and apply them in our education, job, and career. May we all be productive Christian, both in our physical and spiritual life! 

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