ACTION IS BETTER THAN TALK
PROVERBS 14:23
PROVERBS 14:23 NKJ
23 In all labor there is profit,
But idle chatter leads only to poverty.
Now please don't get me wrong. I am a big believer in the value of words. There are way too many verses that underscore the importance of our words. In this same proverb, verse three states that "the lips of the wise will preserve them."
It's obvious that this proverb refers to a different kind of words. The key giveaway are the words "idle chatter." The NIV uses the term mere talk. So, in essence, just talking but not doing leads to poverty. In labor, working and action, there are profitable returns, but just talking about it leads to poverty.
APPLICATION
The proverbs give such practical Godly wisdom. In verse 23, we see that we cannot simply talk about what we are going to do; we have to act. There’s a great Texas phrase that encapsulates this idea. All hat and no cattle. Someone who can talk a good game but has no action to back up his words.
It's important to talk right. To speak words of faith, love, and life. But it's also important that our actions back up our words.
We don't just talk about prayer; we pray. We don't simply talk about doing something for God; we get going. And this principle can be applied to all areas of our lives. James wrote an epistle that has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament. And the biggest theme of the book of James is action. It was James who said that the doers of the word will be blessed in what they do (James 1:25).
PRAYER
Show me, Lord, any area where I am talking but not doing. I want to be profitable, not poor.