10/01/2026
Daily devotional for Thursday, October 1
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Proverbs 10:4 NIV
The rewards of hard work
When David was twelve years old, he convinced a restaurant manager that he was actually sixteen and was hired as a lunch-counter waiter for twenty-five cents an hour. The place was owned by two Greek immigrant brothers, Frank and George, who had started their lives in America as a dishwasher and a hot-dog seller. David remembered that they set high standards, and they never asked anything of their employees that they wouldn’t do themselves. Frank once told David, “As long as you are willing to try, you can always work for me. But when you don’t try, you can’t work for me.” Trying meant everything from working hard, doing whatever needed to be done, and treating customers politely. Once, when Frank noticed a waitress giving a customer a rough time, he fired her on the spot and waited on the table himself. David determined that this would never happen to him! The usual tip for waiters back in those days was ten cents. But David discovered that if he brought out the food quickly, was especially polite, and gave great service, he sometimes got twenty-five cents as a tip. He set a goal for himself to see how many customers he could wait on in one night. His record was one hundred! He went on to become the founder and chairman of Wendy’s International, Inc., a chain of 4,300 restaurants. He also founded a charity called Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which helps to place needy children into adoptive families. His life proves that when you strive for excellence, work hard, and seek to help others, God will bless the work of your hands.
