Put Your Oxen to Work – Part 3

Proverbs 14:4 – Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

PART THREE – Acquire oxen.

The manger is empty when there are no oxen.  The manger is designed to hold food.  When faced with the decision of “empty manger/no food” versus “abundant harvest”, I am going to choose the abundant harvest every single time.  It is my belief that this would be your choice also.

Obviously, the critical step toward an abundant harvest is to have oxen.  These oxen, however, can be expensive.  Acquiring a McDonald’s franchise can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Starting a business can also cost an enormous amount of money.  So where does one start out?  We must start out just like everyone else – start where you are with what you have.

I challenge you to write down your plans, hopes, and dreams on paper.  Seriously, take five minutes to ponder your goals and write them down.  Now, next to each goal, write down how much each goal will cost.  This process will help you understand the necessity of acquiring an ox or two.

My oxen acquisition started by fully funding my 401(k).  I contributed the maximum amount allowed by law.  Notice that I did not contribute just enough to gain the company match.  This is a great start, but to truly get the 401(k) ox to work for me, I needed to maximize my contributions.  If you simply can’t contribute the maximum, start with a little and increase it on a consistent basis so that you will be maximizing it in just a few years.  These investments seemed so little at the start that it seemed pointless.  Just 15 years later, however, the 401(k) ox is healthy and doing a LOT of heavy lifting for me!  It will do the same for you.

I use to live paycheck-to-paycheck but by applying myself little by little every single day, God has continued to bless me.  I am convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that He can do the same for you.

TRUTH:  Oxen acquisition can allow you to enjoy an abundant harvest.