“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

— Proverbs 12:24

The Scriptures teach that we should be diligent in all areas of our lives. You know we say that it’s wonderful that certain people have certain gifts and they can play, they can sing, or they can paint or do whatever it is. Yet it is because these people have been diligent, whereas we have been slothful. While we have been just lazy and relaxing, they were applying themselves to improve the talents and gifts that God has given them.

Isn’t it wonderful there are some people who are tremendously effective soul winners in personal evangelism? Well, they have been working at it. Isn’t it great that there are people who are great apologists for Christ and can take on the skeptic and deal with him at his level? But it just didn’t happen that way.

The same is true in the spiritual world. I am sure that it would impugn the very character of the kingdom of God to suppose that the tender plant of God’s grace can flourish in the garden of a sluggard. God calls us to diligence. May we be so in our study of the Word of God, in our prayer, in our determination to try to improve in the various qualities and characteristics of our lives.

We should pray He blesses us with more diligence. In all things it is by His grace. But in all of these things by His grace He gives us certain abilities and certain gifts and then He expects us to exercise them diligently.

Lord, give me strength for today to be more diligent in life, using my gifts and talents for Your honor and glory. I ask Your forgiveness for any laziness on my part…

BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN USE OUR
GIFTS AND DEVELOP OUR TALENTS.