Just How Precious Are God’s Provisions?

“The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.” Proverbs 12:27 

When we visit my mom in WV, one thing we are sure to see when opening her refrigerator is various small containers of food. These leftovers are representative of her determination to “waste not”. I don’t know if this practice is at least partly due to her growing up during the years of the Great Depression and has magnified as she has aged. But one thing is sure…Mom does not like to see food wasted.

Mom will not hoard food either. This past weekend, we saw an example of that as we were getting ready to return to NC. Her mind could not be at ease until she found someone to take the partial gallon of milk that we were leaving behind. She knew she would not be able to use it before it expired. Thankfully, my brother obliged and (after pouring out a glass for herself) Mom was satisfied.  There would be no food wasted in her home.

Just writing this right now brings a bit of conviction to me. No, I’m not one to delight in seeing things go to waste, but I know I am not as careful as I should be in regarding what the Lord provides for our family as “precious”…as the above verse describes. God often allows us to go through lean times where we learn to greatly appreciate His provisions. But, should we not demonstrate that same appreciation in times of abundance?

Proverbs 18:9 says, “He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.” I find it interesting that both of these verses pair wastefulness with slothfulness. Ouch. You know what? Laziness is not a characteristic I desire to be associated with! 🙂

Just how precious are God’s daily provisions to us? Just a thought on this rainy Tuesday morning…