"The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor." - Proverbs 12:24
Solomon, in all his wisdom, makes a very bold statement here. Those who are not diligent will not rule, but will become slaves. Let us unpack this and see what it means in our lives.
What is diligence? The definition of diligence acording to Webster is "assiduous application; meticulous care or application." So, if you were to be called diligent, you would be one who takes meticulous care in the things you do. When Solomon wrote this, he wrote it to you and me. He is saying that if you are meticulous in the things you do, then you will rule and you will not become slaves. If we are to lead the body of Christ then we must be diligent in our Christian walk. We must be diligent in the searching of our hearts or we will not rule, we will fall, and we will become enslaved to sin which so easily entangles.
Let's take a look at King David, the man after God's own heart. The King of Israel one day decided to take a stroll on his porch and he saw a lady bathing herself. Rather than turning away and diligently ridding himself of small, toxic thoughts, he sent for her and felt the sting of this sin for the rest of his life.
Think back to the people of Israel, God's Chosen People. Do you remember each time Israel became enslaved? How did this keep happening? It began with neglecting to take care of one little thing and then it got worse and worse, eventually leading to their full rebellion and eventual enlsavement to another nation.
Galatians 5:9 says that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough." I don't know about you, but after reading this verse I don't want to be slacking off or tolerating the little sins in my life. I want to be diligent so that I don't have to be handed off to my enemy to be destroyed. I would rather be cured of my sin by Jesus's grace by coming to Him in repentance. I would rather be diligent than be slack and be torn to pieces by my enemies.
So, what does this mean? How can we become people who are diligent? What was Paul's key to success? Read the verse below:
"We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete." - 2 Corinthians 10:5-6
This was Paul's key to success. His focus was to demolish every pretention, everything that went against the knowledge of God. He took every evil thought and made it obey and submit under Christ's glorious authority. This verse is full of success! Paul woke up every day considering his ways and testing them to that of Christ. He would test every thought, every action and whatever ones were in rebellion against the very nature of God, he rebuked, nailed to the cross and left them for Christ to trample under his feet.
We must be diligent in our faith. We must be meticulous in seeking out the blemishes inside us. We must be focused on aligning ourselves to Christ ,and ridding ourselves of the blemishes. We must be people who are meticulous and serious about the things of God. We must be people who do as Colossians 3 says and set our minds and hearts on things above. We must be people who practice diligence. We must make our obedience complete.
~ Written by Otis, an Honor Academy Alumni
Are you diligent in searching your heart and bringing the sin in it to Christ to destroy? A small leak will sink a big ship. Don't get sunk! May you be challenged and encouraged today to evaluate your actions and thoughts according to Christ, knowing that He is the power that will cleanse us as white as snow.
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