4. You will attain the respect and admiration of those in authority.

Transcription

1 Diligence Defined: Diligence is a learnable skill that combines creative persistence, a smart-working effort rightly planned and rightly performed in a timely, efficient and effective manner to attain a result that is pure and of the highest quality of excellence THE REWARDS OF BECOMING TRULY DILIGENT It is a truly human nature to take the path of least resistance. Solomon knew we would need some motivation to choose diligence versus going with the flow. Being diligent will produce priceless rewards. Such as: 1. You will gain sure advantage In any task, would you rather pursue it with a sure and unshakable advantage or lasting handicap? Proverbs 21:5 5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Solomon assures that the truly diligent will gain unthinkable advantage when competing against individuals, companies, or simply time. Diligence will grant greater productivity, achievement, wealth and fulfillment. 2. You will be in control of the situation, rather than have the situation control you. Would you rather to have a boss or other people control your life, or would you rather control your own life? Solomon says Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor Proverbs 12:24. The diligent will control their own life and enhance the lives around them. 3. You will experience true fulfillment. Americans exist in a highly materialistic reality which leads to many Americans having huge debt and little savings. A sluggard s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Proverbs 13:4 Imagine being so content and fulfilled in your inner most being, that you carve nothing, this is promised to the diligent. 4. You will attain the respect and admiration of those in authority. While others fight for attention, you will be showered with attention by persons in authority and of prominence. That s what Solomon means when he says that a person who is diligent in their business

2 shall stand before kings ( Proverbs 22:29). Their achievement will be a magnetic force that draws attention to them. 5. Your needs will be satisfied Those who work diligently in the field of expertise will achieve enough material success to satisfy their needs. In Proverbs 28:19 Solomon writes, He that tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he that follows vain persons is void of understanding Here he warns that if you stray from your field of endeavors to follow vain people or their advice, you will lose the path of understanding. Translation: don t be fooled by people who look successful on the surface and offer get rich quick schemes that sound too good to be true. They are. When you encounter such people run away. 6. You will experience ever-increasing success. Solomon assures us that those who diligently labor will achieve success and wealth that continually grow, but money that comes to us easily, without significant effort, will nearly always be lost.. He said, wealth gotten by vanity will always diminished but he that gathers by labor shall increase (Proverbs 13:11), as hard as it is to believe most lottery winner lose all of their winnings in a relatively short amount of time. And even gamblers who are lucky enough to win big eventually lose all of their money and end up in debt. The casinos in Las Vegas don t offer free palatial hotel suites to high rollers out of the goodness of their hearts. They do it because they know that no matter how high a high roller wins, he will ultimately lose a lot more. *CUT* 7. Your efforts will be profitable. Solomon promises that ALL diligent labor end s up in profit- one that is measured by the successful achievement of your goals, and the financial reward you receive for achieving those goals. In Proverbs 14:23, he says, In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads to poverty Apply that labor to your marriage of parenting efforts, and your profit will be measured by the amount of fulfillment you and your family gain. Mere, talk on the other hand, Solomon warns is cheap and easy, and leads only to poverty. Diligent labor is demanding. It requires vision, creativity, commitment, and effective partnering. Essentially, Solomon is telling us that it you Re not profitable IN YOUR CAREER, OR IF YOU MARIAGE ISNT AS FULFILLING AS YOU WISH, your probably not working diligently enough. Applying diligence to any area of our lives always brings profitable results. THE CONSEQUENCE OF NOT BEING DILIGENT. Our greatest motivation in life are the desire for gain and the fear of loss. Solomon s tries to motivate us with both. If his seven rewards don t provide the motivation you need to pursue diligence, perhaps the consequences of not being diligent will spur you on.

3 1. You will always be at an huge disadvantage The diligent always take the time to plan and think so they can perform excellently. On the contrary those who are not diligent never take the time they need to plan, prepare or perform and their haste ultimately ends in failure. Solomon says 5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty (Proverbs 21:5) 2. You will be ruled Generally human being hate being overly controlled by others. Solomon warns Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. (Proverbs 12:24). Who decides how you spend your days? How much you earn? Whether or not you get promoted, demoted or dismissed? Even Business owners must be diligent or they will be slaves to customers or competitions. 3. You will crave but find little solace. Those who are diligent fulfill their deepest desires, while those who lack diligence are subjected to an endless craving. Solomon warns A sluggard s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.(proverbs 13:4). When we lack diligence, their lives are defined by desire rather than fulfillment. 4. You will lack understanding Today television and Internet advertisements are filled with promises of wealth without work. You can buy real estate with no money down, you can master stock exchange with no money in savings. Solomon warns that those who chase these get-rich-quick schemes demonstrate only their ignorance. Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty (Proverbs 28:19) 5. Your wealth and security will dissipate 11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow (Proverbs 13:11). Solomon contrasts persons who gain wealth trough diligence and those who gain wealth through vain pursuit which will ultimately disappear. 6. Your effort will come to nothing Those who diligently labor work heartily, while others are constantly talking abut what they will do someday. Talk is cheap but diligent labor requires effort. That is why Solomon Says mere talk leads only to poverty (Proverbs 14:23)

4 HOW CAN YOU BRING TRUE DILIGENCE IN EVERY PART OF YOUR LIFE Solomon gives four steps to use and make diligence a lifestyle; these steps are threatened by our desire to take the path of least resistance, our innate laziness. There is seed of laziness in all of us whether we like to admit it or not. Often we combat the seed of laziness in certain parts of our lives such as our career and leave them unattended in other areas such as our marriage or relationships with or children. RECOGNIZING THE ROOT CAUSES OF LAZINESS 1. Self-Centeredness A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart (Proverbs 21:2) We naturally see thing s from our own point of view. If we don t choose to shift our focus to the interest and well-being of others, we will simply act in manner that satisfies our ego and desires. 2. Conceit (Arrogance) 16 A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes, than seven people who answer discreetly (Proverbs 26:16) Because we naturally think we are smarter than those around us, we act without seeking the counsel of others. So we act first and ask later. We simply need to accept that they are person just as smart and even smarter than us. 3&4. Ignorance and Irresponsibility (Foolishness) I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins (Proverbs 24:30-31) The last cause of laziness is Ignorance and Irresponsibility which Solomon calls foolishness. Persons sometimes don t consider long term consequences to their actions. It is easier to be ignorant than educated. To educate yourself takes time and effort. More worse than ignorance is irresponsibility knowing what do and failing to do it. Laziness results in More Laziness 4 Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing (Proverbs 20:4) Laziness can be all consuming the more we give in to our natural inclination towards instant gratification the stronger the inclination will become.

5 Laziness creates a painful barrier to personal achievement. 19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway (Proverbs 15:19) SOLOMON S STEPS TO BRING DILIGENCE INTO YOUR LIFE Step #1- Wake Up to Reality 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. (Proverbs 6:9-11) We always think we have more time than we really do to achieve our personal and professional goals. So we procrastinate doing what we should be doing. We need to wake up and bring diligence into our lives now. The opportunities will be multiplied! Take responsibility for your life, your attitudes, your values, and how you spend your life. Step#2- Define Your Visions Solomon wrote that in Proverbs 28:19, Without a vision, the people perish. In other words where their s no vision we lose our direction, our motivation. Out joy, our passion, our energy, our creativity and commitment, On the contrary when we inject vision into an area of our lives we gain energy. The fact is it is impossible to be truly diligent with a clear vision of what you want to achieve. In Proverbs 6:6 Solomon charges those who lacks diligence to look at the ant the ant has no overseer yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest in other words the ant is so mission oriented that he needs no supervision. IN THE END HE BENEFITS HIMESELF AND THE ENTIRE COLONY. Step #3 Effective Partners Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22) It is impossible to be diligent without seeking outside counsel AND EFFECTIVELY PARTNERING. Most of us are deeply knowledgeable in only a few things and completely ignorant in other areas. The only way to achieve excellence in areas we have no talent or expertise is to effectively partner with those who do. Throughout history no one has ever achieved any worthwhile goal, significant project, or impossible dream without effectively partnering and seeking outside counsel.

6 Step # 4- Pursue Wisdom; Build Your Life Upon It How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! (Proverbs 16:16) In becoming diligent you must seek wisdom and build your life upon it. Seek wisdom as if it was hidden treasure and needs to be unearthed Knowledge to Wisdom Question: Are you diligent in your job? Your marriage? Your parenting? Your Career? Let s explore the diligence checklist to determine your level of diligence. Diligence Checklist DO YOU: 1. Have a clear and precise vision for what you want to achieve? 2. Creatively persist through disappointment and failures? 3. Work Smart? 4. Rightly plan? 5. Rightly perform? 6. Work expeditiously (with target dates)? 7. Work efficiently? 8. Work effectively (achieving effective results)? 9. Produce a result that reflects a quality outcome? 10. Attain true excellence?