Proverbs 13:4 "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat."
Have you noticed so far that the book of Proverbs deals with the practical side
of life? God inspired Solomon to begin with the thoughts of honoring God
in our thoughts, words, and actions. This is the single most important aspect
of life to which we should be "diligent" in accomplishing on a daily
basis. Most, if not all, other areas of life will be in a better position for
us if we seek first to honor our Lord and to do the right thing. God tells us
in the book of Micah 6:8, "... to do justly, and to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with thy God." Erk Russell, the late legendary coach of
Georgia Southern University would say it this way, "Just do what is
right." This is the message of the book of Proverbs.
Would you agree with me that all too often, the problem is that we want
immediate results. We tend to give up too easily if we do not see quick
action in response to what we are doing. Sometimes, we think life is just
too hard and sometimes we give up before we even begin. That is the way of the
"sluggard" (lazy). I remember as a boy hearing people talk about
someone and saying, "He is too lazy to work in a pie factory." I'm
not exactly sure what that meant, but I figured that person would not even be a
taste tester in a pie factory. The lazy person (sluggard) desires to have, but
is not willing to work for it. But, the diligent people are determined,
constant, and persistent in their actions. They do not easily give up and are
willing to stay with the job in order to experience the results. I have to
confess to you that I have been guilty of giving up too quickly at times and
persistent at times when maybe I should have gone a different route. The key to
success lies in the first thing we learned in our study of Proverbs: "In
the fear of the LORD is strong confidence..." (Proverbs 14:26) We
will find good success if we seek to honor the Lord in all we do.