ONE OF MY FAVORITE PROVERBS

PROVERBS 14:4 NKJ 
4 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; 
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox. 

OBSERVATION: 

I just love this proverb. It is so practical and helpful. This is especially true as it pertains to anyone looking to achieve anything of significance.   

If you want a life that's worry and trouble-free, you are kidding yourself. Now we can do something about worry. Giving our cares to God is a wonderful remedy. But life on this earth will always come with challenges. 

A super clean stall and feed trough exist when there are no oxen to mess them up. Everything is nice and tidy.   

But in the day this proverb was penned, having an ox meant you had the best farming machinery of the day. An ancient tractor.  

But with an ox, you will have ox mess. They eat a lot and do what they do, pun intended.   

But with an ox, you can plow more, plant more and harvest more. Oxen equals messes, but oxen equal an increase of productivity.   

Taking on a new job may mean more pressure and problems, but it may also come with a big pay raise. Getting married can really add pressure and problems, but it can also be extremely enriching.   

You see how this works. We often want life to be nice, neat, and tidy, but that often implies not much is being accomplished.   

APPLICATION: 

As the church grew and we added staff, we got a lot more done. But adding staff added staff problems. More staff meant our trough was not as clean and tidy, but our ability to be effective was enhanced.   

Not every situation adds so many problems that it's not worth the extra increase. It's just a practical attitude that says doing good productive, effective things will not always be neat, clean, and tidy. There will be some messes, but hey, with God's help we'll handle them and get more done.   

Just know there will be days of shoveling the oxen stall.