LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil

Tuesday 9th December 2025

THE BENEFIT OF HARDWORK

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 14

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

Everyone who goes to the gym to get a workout hears this maxim – No pain, no gain.

This proverb is based on the usefulness of an ox to a farmer. In ancient days the ox was the most reliable source of strength for most farm work. They were needed for the critical work of breaking up the ground and ploughing it for seed sowing. During harvest time, the ox’s strength was needed to carry the harvested crops.

A farmer who had oxen had an advantage over one who had no oxen. However, taking care of the oxen was a tiring task. They ate a lot and required their feeding troughs to be filled at all times. In addition, oxen littered their mangers with a lot of waste because of the amount of food they ate.

The heart of the proverb is that oxen are beneficial to the farmer, but they are also difficult to care for. If a farmer has no oxen for ploughing, the animal food trough in his barn will be nice and clean. But it would also mean that the farmer cannot increase his work. Meaningful results of any kind require investing time, money, and work.

In reality, nobody wants to clean an ox’s stall. It is a filthy, stinking, even repulsive job. If a farmer did not have an ox, he would not have to clean up after it. But the farmer with the ox does his dirty work with a smile on his face and an element of gratitude in his heart. He looks across the way to his barn that is filled with grain and knows that his harvest would be much smaller without the help of his strong, hard-working ox.

Taking care of the distasteful and disgusting duties that come along with owning certain animals is far preferable to an empty barn and an empty bank account.

Every job, every goal, every ambition has its own share of undesirable tasks, unpleasant side effects, and awkward moments. Animals, equipment, machinery, and employees all require toilsome, unpleasant maintenance. But all provide irreplaceable benefits. We must discipline ourselves to gratefully do that which is unpleasant but necessary for us to increase in what we do.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you that through my toil and sweat, you cause me to increase abundantly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.