Thursday, February 22, 2007

The Power to Create Wealth: Diligence

The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 28:8)
In addition to commanding the blessing on us in our storehouses, God also promises to bless us in all we set our hands to, when we are obedient to Him.

Just as the Lord cannot command the blessing on your storehouse if you don’t have a storehouse, He also cannot command the blessing on all you set you hand to if you never set your hand to anything. This calls for diligence.
He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
(Proverbs 10:4)

The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
(Proverbs 12:24)

The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.
(Proverbs 12:27)

The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
(Proverbs 13:4)

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
(Proverbs 21:5)

Do you see a man who excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before unknown men.
(Proverbs 22:29)

Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;
For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
(Proverbs 27:23-24)

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.
(Ecclesiastes 9:10)

In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.
(Ecclesiastes 11:6)
The Hebrew word translated as “diligent” generally means to be incisive or sharp. We might say “on the ball.” It is active, it is timely, it is decisive. It is quick to act, but not without due consideration, to take care of the things that ought to be taken care of. Another word means to be skillful, to excel. Such excellence requires that one be ready and steady in their effort. The word for “diligent” in Proverbs 27:23 is actually the word for “know” used twice, reflecting a Hebrew idiom for emphatic action. The idea in this verse is to do all you can to keep up with what’s going on in your affairs, or your prosperity can easily slip away.

God wants to bless the work of your hand, so set your hand to work.

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