golden diligence

"The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want."

Proverbs 21:5

We live in a culture that hurries everything. Pre-preschool hurries our alphabet; cars and airplanes hurry our travels; microwaves hurry our dinners. But Solomon warned against living a "hasty" life, saying that hastiness would lead only to want--that is, lack and great need.

The opposite of hastiness is diligence. Diligence means taking things steadily, sometimes slowly. It means getting up every single morning and laying the bricks that will shelter you tomorrow. It means spending more time reading the Bible than chasing spiritual highs. It means forming good habits, doing the best things, keeping at it.

Diligence is not natural to our culture, and apparently it wasn't natural in Solomon's time either. But it is godly. Jesus' life was a diligent one. He got up every morning and did what God called Him to do. He didn't try to rush the program or skip the hard parts. And because He was diligent, we are saved.

An attitude of diligence can make an immeasurable difference, not only to your own life, but to the lives of those you influence in family, friendships, work, and ministry. Diligence is golden. What are you doing to develop it?