Text: Proverbs 12:24
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”
“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor” (NKJV)
“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor” (NIV)
The Bible says, “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). What this means is that, success doesn’t just happen. It happens to those that learn to seize opportunities.
So it is for anyone who does not want to be a slave or beggar, anyone who does not want to be into forced labor, instead of ruling or calling the shots, he has to be hardworking. Laziness is an enemy of success, and a limitation to realising one’s potentials. The Bible says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Proverbs 22:29).
A student who is not hardworking, will not do well in exams. A farmer who is lazy, will watch his neighbours harvest in harvest time, while he reels in poverty. A spouse who does not work hard, will fail in his or her responsibility. A lazy pastor will not be able to study to show himself approved of God; he will be unable to rightly divide the word of God.
Hard work with prayer, and dependence on the Holy Spirit, pays.
Prayer:
Lord, let every spirit of Laziness die in my life, in the name of Jesus Christ.
