"If You Ain't Up With The Chickens, You've Done Wasted The Day"

When I was young boy growing up on my granddad's farm, my grandmother would reiterate the above statement time and time again, emphasizing the fact that when the day begins, chickens are already at work, laying their eggs. So, if you're up after the chickens are up, you've wasted valuable and profitable time, and that includes the rooster as well.

If our Lord emphasized anything, it was productivity (John 15:1-7), the end result being that His Father would be glorified (John 15:8; cf. Matthew 5:16; Philippians 1:9-11).

The bottom line: The Lord does not condone idle people, a welfare state, nor waste of any kind (Matthew 20:1-7; Luke 15:13 NLT).

Also note the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets