Proverbs 24:30-31 “I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.”

This is one of many proverbs written by King Solomon that show us he knew the value of hard work and common sense.

Principle: A cluttered and poorly maintained workplace can ruin productivity.

Disorganization, sloppiness, half-finished projects, and general chaotic conditions are bad for business. Forget all the jokes and the sayings which justify being messy. Clutter contributes to inefficiency and causes a person to be unproductive, which in turn could lead to loss of competitiveness.

A client of mine was a sailboat builder in Long Beach, California. His customers could finish their own sailboat. They would start with a fiberglass hull, deck and cabin and then customize the details at their own pace. They added all the finishing touches to their new soon-to-sail cruiser with expert advice from the boat builder.

The boatyard office was an unbelievable clutter of paperwork, boat parts, supplies and unanswered phone message slips.

The builder struggled to find out whether parts had been ordered or when they were due. Worse than that, he could not figure out who owed what because the paperwork was in such chaos. The mess finally did my client in. He is no longer in business, and it was not the luxury tax, recession or import business that did him in. Clutter did.

There is a saying,“a clean desk is the sign of an un-cluttered mind.” How clean is your desk?

Do some “weeding” today. Even a half-hour every day can clear the “thorns” and prevent your “stone wall” from going to ruin. If you need inspiration, read Job 25:2. Our God is a God of order.

Discussion:

1. How do you feel when your workplace is disorganized?

2. What is the best way you have found to keep things orderly?

3. In the greater sense – what spiritual areas of your life have fallen into neglect and what would it take to restore order?