4 Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Price Tag Of Success: Diligence!
Dr. Robb Thompson
"He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."Proverbs 10:4 (NKJV) "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." Proverbs 21:5 (NKJV)The Price Tag Of Success Is Stamped With The Price Of "Diligence." Diligence requires discipline, hard work, and time. In other words, it requires effort. In order for us to delight in the promises of God, we must continually apply diligence to our efforts. God's system is not set up in such a way that a one-time action produces lasting results. God's way of progress requires diligence, faithfulness, and patience.
The same principle applies to any endeavor. We cannot expect to be physically fit by exercising one week out of the year. To see positive results we must continue for several months, and for lasting results, we must make exercise a part of our daily lifestyle! All of us want to achieve more and do great things, but we will only experience true greatness by diligently applying God's principles to our lives.
Diligence bridges the gap between discipline and reward. Anyone can discipline himself for a day, but only discipline coupled with diligence causes us to lay hold of Heaven's reward.
Father, I thank You for the wisdom of Your Word. I refuse to have a slack hand knowing it leads to poverty. I walk in plenty and not in lack because I diligently apply Your principles to my life.
Author of more than eighteen compelling books and countless audio and video resources, Dr. Robb Thompson is a skilled relational and leadership strategist. With over twenty years of experience in the arena of human resource management, Dr. Thompson travels the globe, training business executives and mentoring government leaders, including heads of State, cabinet ministers, and royalty. His television program, Winning in Life, is viewed by millions in the United States and around the world. Dr. Thompson is the senior pastor of Family Harvest Church, one of America's most influential and productive churches. He has been happily married to Linda for over thirty years. They live in the Chicagoland area in the United States.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Viva la Difference
Kenneth Copeland
"If one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)There's power in unity. The devil knows that. That's why he's continually fighting it. He takes the differences between us, differences God put there to make us stronger, and tries to use them as a wedge to drive us apart.
Take men and women, for example. He's deceived us into fighting about which one is superior over the other. But I can settle that argument right now. Women are superior to men. If you don't believe that, you boys try having a baby. But then, men are superior to women. If you don't believe that, you women try having one without us.
It's the differences combined that make us strong!
People have even argued about whether God is male or female. But the Bible itself tells us that. He's both! That's right. In the Hebrew language, all words have gender. They're either male or female. But the Hebrew word "Jehovah" is both masculine and feminine. He's as much female as He is male and as much male as He is female.
Originally, mankind was that way too. When God first made "man," he was as much female as he was male. Then God separated the female part out and made "woman" or, "the man with the womb." After that, man and woman had to come together to be perfectly whole.
That's still true today. For example, when He puts together husband and wife teams, He often puts people together who have major personality differences. Where one is weak, the other is strong, and vice versa. So, when they become one, they're more powerful than they ever were apart.
There was a time when I didn't understand that. I got aggravated with God for calling me a wife who didn't care for so many things that I liked. But I finally realized God knew what He was doing. If He'd given me a woman who was as nuts about flying as I am, we would have spent the rest of our lives in the clouds. We wouldn't be preaching the Word. We'd be in some silly airshow flying upside down. "The Copeland Team!" or something.
Do you have people in your life who are irritatingly different from you? Don't let the devil use those differences to drive you apart. Thank God for them! Let Him teach you how to appreciate them. Let Him show you just how powerful you can be... together!
Scripture Study: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
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