The Reward of Diligence

‘In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty’ (Proverbs 14:23).

‘The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it’ (Gen 2:15). Work is a timeless responsibility. Before God created man He worked, after He created man He commanded man to work and even after the fall of man He still commanded man to work. Nothing works until you work it (David Oyedepo). If God worked for six days before He rested on the seventh, you should realize that nothing can be achieved without work, and until you work you don’t deserve rest. The good news is, ‘In all labor there is profit’. Everyone who works receives wages, regardless of their spirituality, be it an atheist or a Christian. The difference is Christians hear God’s voice and have His guidance, giving them an opportunity to work with great wisdom, excellence and productivity. The principle of sowing and reaping remains as long as the earth remains. Spirituality is no excuse for laziness. As a Christian you are supposed to ‘Work as if you were to live a hundred years. Pray as if you were to die tomorrow (Benjamin Franklin).

After God created man and placed him on earth, it already had invisible computers, aircrafts, and all the wonders of technological advancements we find in the present century. Adam would have been blown away with amazement if God had unraveled life in this century to him. But the truth is God had placed all the potentials and ideas to make those developments in man, and He had also placed the resources to make them on earth. So His words to man was, be fruitful (productive), multiply (impart your knowledge and duplicate yourself), replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion (Gen 1:28). Before God gave man this command, He had placed in him all that it takes to achieve all the details of his purpose. But the key to unlocking all these purposes was work.

'Nothing is to be got without labor; and he that is laborious in his calling, whether it be by manual operation, working with his hands that which is good; or by hard study, much reading, and constant meditation, is like to gain much for his own use and the good of others. A man that spends his time in idle talk, boasting of what he can do and does, and yet does nothing, is in a fair way to come to beggary: so all talk about wisdom, and knowledge, and religion, without making use of the proper means of improvement, tends to the poverty of the mind (Gill’s exposition of the entire Bible).

Many Christians are good at confessing the promises in God’s word and that is very wonderful, but the truth is after confessing God’s promises and His will for you, you are to be inspired by those promises to plan and diligently work towards a realization of those promises. Remember, God accomplished His work during His creation by sticking to the plan he had laid down. For six days He worked, creating something specific every day. On the seventh day He rested. The common believe is that people rest after they are tired of labor. The lesson here is diligence, ‘the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty’ (Prov 21:5).

God has ordained an awe-inspiring purpose for your life. His word to you is eyes have not seen ears have not seen neither has it entered in to the hearts of men the purpose I have for those who love me (1 Cor 2:9). No man, not even you have an idea about the depth of potential God has placed in you, but the key is to remain connected to your maker, discover your purpose, make long term and short term plans for your life, add value to yourself and work diligently to fulfill those plans. Finding one’s true calling in life makes hard work bearable and fulfilling. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher said, ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’.