Proverbs 14:4

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. (ESV)

In Biblical times, the oxen represented the means by which an agrarian family made its living. It was crucial to its survival. The oxen tilled the soil, hauled the crops, did all the heavy lifting. With its strength, came a harvest…food for the winter and goods to sell.

What is the “oxen” in your life? Have you prepared, or are you preparing yourself with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for a harvest down the road? Are you putting forth the hard work today necessary for success tomorrow? More importantly, are you now preparing yourself spiritually for success against the challenges of tomorrow?

In John 16:33 Jesus tells his disciples that we would have trouble in this world, but to “take heart”, He had overcome the world. Your “spiritual oxen” is a sincere, heartfelt, growing, personal relationship with Christ. Through that relationship, your “crops” will be abundant; you will be able to overcome trials that may have taken you out in the past.

Don’t neglect developing your “oxen”, spiritual, emotional, professional and educational.