Rhapsody of Realities TeeVo ; Thursday, 20th June 2019 ;
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome DSc., DD ;
THE DILIGENT VS SLOTHFUL ;
TO THE BIBLE Proverbs 12:24 AMPC ;
“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.”
LET’S TALK➡
Slothfulness is one of the antonyms of diligence. That means the one who isn’t diligent is slothful, and will of necessity live a hard life, while the diligent receive promotion. The New Living Translation puts Proverbs 12:24 this way, “Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.” It makes a difference what you do; if you work hard, you’ll be a leader and a champion. When it says, “Work hard,” it means to diligently do whatever is required to be done to achieve excellence in what you do. The slothful ending up a slave doesn’t mean he’s going to be a slave to somebody else but to a system. That means he’ll be hemmed-in in life—a slave of the world’s system— whipped by the whims of life.
The diligent, on the other hand, “will rule”; that means they shall have authority. If you want to be successful in anything, whether it’s about gaining some more weight or shedding some thereof, or perhaps about your health or studies, diligence is what you need. Diligence means careful, persistent and determined actions to achieve a definite purpose. Proverbs 22:29 tells us that the diligent is not only going to stand tall among kings, he’s going to walk among them. Whether he becomes a king or not, he’s going to be known among kings. Isn’t that wonderful?
You’re not going to be among obscure men when you’re diligent. God cares about your life and what happens to you; He wants you to have excellent results in all that you do, that’s why He wants you to be diligent. You may have set goals for yourself in the area of your finances, health, spiritual or career development; pursue those goals with diligence. To fulfill God’s destiny for your life, you have to work on being diligent in every area of your life. Diligence is truly a pathway to greatness.
GO DEEPER
Proverbs 12:24 AMPC
The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.
Romans 12:11
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
PRAY?
Dear Father, I thank you for granting me through your Spirit and through the effectual working of your Word in me, the discipline and ability to be diligent in all I do. Thank you for bringing me into places of influence and authority as I channel my energies into achieving excellence and perfection in all that I do, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
ONE YEAR
Acts 9:1-31, 2 Chronicles 35-36
TWO YEAR
2 Corinthians 6:11-18, Isaiah 7
Act?
Practice applying painstaking effort and giving close detail with the things you do today. That’s the first step toward being diligent and excellent.