Success—in our relationship with God, our family, at work—requires diligence. The Bible, specifically the Proverbs, affirms this idea repeatedly: Prov 10:4, “The hand of the diligent makes rich”; Prov 12:24, “The hand of the diligent will rule”; Prov 13:4, “The soul of the diligent is richly supplied”; and Prov 21:5, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.” If you want success, be diligent!
Easier said than done, right!? We all experience impediments to diligence. These are the four I run into: indifference, boredom, fatigue, and disappointment. Indifference is the attitude, “Meh.” It’s a shoulder shrug; it’s laziness and slothfulness. Sin makes us indifferent to God’s demands on our lives. Boredom results from monotony—the same old, same old. Monotony is the result of our dissatisfaction with routine. When we are bored, we distract ourselves: hours on social media, binge watching Netflix. Fatigue results from the demands of life. We become emotionally, spiritually, and physically worn down. When this happens, our ability to persist in righteousness falters. And disappointment results from failures on our end or failures from others. These set us back, knock us down, and result in despair.
When you experience these setbacks, don’t be surprised (1 Pet 4:12). It’s normal. Nevertheless, resolve to be diligent. Keep praying. Keep getting out of bed. Keep working hard. Keep striving for discipline. And keep loving others. There are no shortcuts to success, no lifehacks that transport you to where you want to be. Success is hard work. The key is diligence. Whatever the Lord has called you to, diligently pursuit it. Success will come.
Pastor Chance
