Lazy people can be so slothful that they do not even have the energy to pick up their hand, even after it drops into a bowl of food provided for them, even if it is for their own survival and nourishment. A wife and mother must work extremely hard. "Equipping and encouraging people to keep believing in Jesus", Copyright 2020 Keep Believing Ministries. Here is what has helped me: As mentioned, the beginning or end of an important task can be the most difficult. Unity among God's people depends upon diligence: "Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" ( Ephesians 4:3 ). We must build relationships, work heard, take care of our finances and health, and seek out a meaningful, intentional, purposeful and ongoing personal relationship with our Lord and Savior. In Scripture diligence is highly commended. Remember, working hard is first a mindset (and so is laziness). You shall not consent to him or listen to him, Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. These simple commands elevate ones work to the status of moral obligation to our fellow man and the Lord. Hes not even taking care of the things he has, whereas a diligent man prizes everything that he has because he had to work to earn it. If, on the other hand, we set ourselves to our tasks, then out of faith will come, as the blossoms mysteriously and miraculously do out of an apparently dead stump, virtue, manliness, and knowledge, and temperance, and patience, and godliness, and brotherly mindedness, and charity. So many Christians just while away the hours, looking at the flowers, consulting with the rain. If you find yourself dating or even engaged to such a person, then like those who stumble upon a Plutonium-239 core, disengage carefully, raise your shields, and head for the hills, because you dont want to be anywhere nearby when that bomb self-destructs! If we are to be 'found in peace,' we must be 'found spotless,' and if we are to be 'found spotless' we must be 'diligent.' Hard Work and Providence Preaching Today is blessed to have him as an editorial A few months ago, I came across an article in The Boston Globe about religion in the workplace. During the Season of Easter we Bankruptcy, debtors prison, law suits, and a lifetime of forced labor await such people. This vanishing cultural work ethic emphasizes: Although work ethic and some of these words are foreign to our English translations of the Bible, most of the underlying concepts and virtues are taught by Scripture, which is our text and standard for Christians. The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty (Proverbs 21:5). The lambs will provide you will clothing and goats with the price of a field. Our number one concern now is not what is the work, but how much vacation time do we get? B. The easy way is saying take it easy, slow down, back off, dont have a heart attack. Paul challenges Timothy to focus like a soldier, train like an athlete, and work like a farmer. This type of love is so obvious, so basic that to be void of such love is comparable to complete unbelief and apostasy: Frequently, while the diligent are working late into the night or rising early in the morning, they will ask themselves, Why am I doing this? Others may taunt them, Why are you working, For people to persist in pursuing a difficult goal and work is difficult (, Faith is essential to our hope, because we hope for what we cannot see (, Noah demonstrated his great faith by his diligent obedience in building an ark for a flood he had never seen (, Therefore, we must understand and believe that God requires our diligent labor. Again, consider that God foretold a figurative army of locust, who were stinging, devouring, resistant, entitled, and yet they were of mankind. Trevor Musia. Sacrifice and hard work are part and parcel of the Christian life. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from the New King James Version, copyright 1994 Proverbs 6:9-11, Denomination: One month of self-control will not help us become all we can be in this life. God waited patiently, hoping for mankind to repent while Noah was building the ark (I Peter 3:20)God specifically worked with mankind for 120 years before sending the flood (Genesis 6:3)Question: What do we mean by the terms, "diligence", "work . Evangelical/Non-Denominational. Amen. But, even if he did take 120 years to build the ark, please also consider that? When bad things happen, can God use them to accomplish good? And whatever. Understand something. Life would not always be hunky-dory, we got to roll up our sleeves and be ready to dirty our fingers! The Apostle paints himself, and his own way of Christian living, when he thus frequently exhorts his brethren to 'give all diligence.' A. Dont work only in order to receive. Chuck's sermon is an excellent example of a sermon that sharpens the way we read the Bible. Hard work! Anywhere. Noah would have been busy preaching, trying to persuade the lost. Title: Drama and Diligence Text: Acts 9:1-22 Thesis: Both the exceptional and the everyday experiences with the living Christ are valid and necessary in accomplishing God's work in and through our lives. Scripture: Laziness leads to depressing solitude and isolation, which leads to more laziness, and so it spirals out of control. I am not calling on you to work 70 or 80 or 90 or100 hours a week. It will take you less than three seconds to answer that question. The easy road takes you down to the bottom. 4. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Denomination: "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." Proverbs 13:4 "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23 The Season of Easter Series: When Jesus Shows Up During the Season of Easter we .read more Scripture: Acts 9:1-22 Genesis 24:1-23, Pro 6:6 Lazy people should learn a lesson from the way ants live. 1. Noah still would have worked a day job to provide for himself and his family (, Three sons were born to Noah, approximately 100 years before the flood began (, Noahs father died 5 years before the flood (. A Sensible Plan Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (II Peter 1:57). By both aspects of this brief life we should be spurred to haste. Our work for others will be done, even though our toil will not be quite yet complete (, Therefore, whatever we choose to accomplish in this life, we must strive to complete diligently, because our window of opportunity is relatively small (. These things have their limited place in the life of the mature, hard working adult; however, they are quickly outgrown, and they must often be sacrificed even completely when the need arises. The Pattern for Life and Love -- Diligence God tells us that anxious care and bitter sighing wont help. It is a homely virtue, but if in its homeliness we practised it, this Church and our own souls would wear a different face from what it and they do to-day. read more, Scripture: However, hard work is a universal and general burden, which we all must bear and overcome (. Just start somewhere. [Proverbs 11:29; 15:22, 32; 18:15, 22; 19:20; 21:16], 10. b. Diligence makes God's gifts ours. Sadly, such analogies often insult the beast (. That is a warning to those of us who make our living speaking. For riches do not endure forever and the crown is not secure for all generations. Proverbs 27:23. Full Diligence No Creeping Sluggishness, We may be very diligent in some aspects or applications of our religion and yet be sluggish in other points. read more, Scripture: After that, build your house. Proverbs 24:27. The engine that is giving off its steam in white puffs is not working at its full power. Ask the Spirit to make you a hard worker for God. Beware the great lie of procrastination. Pentecostal, We must be diligent in taking initiative in our service to God. In the book of Nehemiah Gods people experienced the same drop in motivation when they were working on rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, Thus in Judah it was said, The strength of the burden bearers is failing, yet there is much rubbish; and we ourselves are unable to rebuild the wall (Nehemiah 4:10). Ask God to give you opportunities to become a hard worker, and then look for Him to answer in every realm of your life (home, work, school, ministry, etc.). So I need to learn to be diligent in things that matter, like guarding my heart (Proverbs 4:23), nourishing my relationships, and taking advantage of opportunities to grow spiritually and help others do the same. How 2 Peter chapter 1 instructs us to live a diligent faith, one which continues to grow from the time we accept Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. What an incredibly powerful quality long term diligence can be in our lives, because obviously: Samuel Johnson was spot on when he observed, Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. For example, kindness, patience, endurance and self-control are all found in the definition of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Register. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him (Proverbs 11:27). Proverbs 6:6-11. Dawn, noon & moon John Ortberg is a master communicator, whether through preaching or through writing. We came through Knoxville and got on I-75 heading toward Lexington and Cincinnati. Diligence in Hinduism "Who so performeth - diligent, content - the work allotted him, whatever it be, lays hold of perfectness!"-The Bhagavad Gita 18:45. It is the dedicated fervency God calls us to invest in each task that we perform. Furthermore, the extreme shakiness of that excuse indicates their desperation to avoid their due labor. Speak up. You're Preaching, But Do You Know Who's Listening? What a beautiful ideal of Christian life results from putting together all these items. Parents are admonished to be diligent in instructing (Deuteronomy 6:7) and disciplining their children (Proverbs 13:24). read more, Scripture: Log In The day of full salvation, repose, and blessedness is near dawning. 'To-morrow and to-morrow' is the opiate with which sluggards and cowards set conscience asleep, and as each to-morrow becomes to-day it proves as empty of effort as its predecessors, and, when it has become yesterday, it adds one more to the solemn company of wasted opportunities which wait for a man at the bar of God. , slow down, back off, dont have a heart attack, kindness patience... 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