"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that -diligently- seek him." - Heb 11:1
"He that -diligently- seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. " - Prov 11:27
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We hope you are enjoying our walk through the book of Proverbs, and find the collection of them into topics useful. We are still in Prov 10:4... "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. " ... and you may have guessed that that the topic today is the opposite of slothfulness....
Diligence is what we are about this week!
The largest benefit of Diligence is beautifully summarized in our first text from Hebrews... a diligently God-seeking person is pleasing to God... and obtains rewards from Him!
And if you go deeper into the book of Proverbs, we come across our second text ... Seeking Good gets you favour... seeking Evil gets you in trouble! Now.... Who is the ultimate expression of Good but God Himself?!!!
That really is the bottom line........ As we have said in our introduction to the Book of Proverbs, the Book is all about making smart(Wise) and skillful (High quality/excellent) choices! The choice to seek God is perhaps the smartest one of them all and was the reason we were created in the first place!!!!!
"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, ---as though he needed any thing---, seeing he ---giveth to --all life, and breath, and --all things;
And hath made of -one blood, -all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
----THAT THEY SHOULD SEEK THE LORD---, if haply ---they might feel after him, and ---find him, -----though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being." - Acts 17:24-28
There it is right there. Discovering your identity as a Human, A Spiritual Creature, and then as a beloved Child of God... and in so doing, focusing on what matters... your Spirit!.
Not the material stuff around you that you see, are made of, and spend so much time and money in chasing... no ........ it is Life and Relationships that you must learn to appreciate!
We are spiritual creatures, given a GIFT... body and a universe that was created for us... and we must learn to find out who we(Humans) really are in Christ Jesus. And we must do this DILIGENTLY....
The Apostle Paul was perhaps inspired to say this to the Athenians, based on the example of the Thessalonians, and the Bereans he had just left. A majority of the Thessalonian Jews rejected Paul's teachings, but the Bereans dug deeper... daily.... and because of that, the opposite of what happened in Thessalonica happened in Berea... take a look..
"And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were ---more noble than those in Thessalonica---, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures ----daily----, whether those things were so.
----Therefore---- --many-- of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of ---men, --not a few--. " - Acts 17:10-12.
Those were the results in Berea. What happened in Thessalonica?
"And ----some of them---- believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the --devout Greeks ---a great multitude---, and of the chief --women --not a few." - Acts 17:4
The opposite... Paul had more believers in Berea from his own people (and men) than he did in Thessalonica... and it was all because of their diligence in seeking God!
True poverty is being deprived of the Grace and Goodness of God through laziness. It is the Grace and Mercy of God that proactively reaches out to us (through agents like Paul) to draw us to Himself... (sometimes kicking and screaming).... so that He can be kind to us! Hallelujah! He is even more pleased when we respond to His kindness with diligence, and blesses us even more!!! Oh, Hallelujah .. Give Him Praise!!!
He is diligent...
"And in the morning, rising up ---a great while before day--, he {Christ} went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, 'Let us go into the next towns, --that I may preach there also--: for ----therefore came I forth.'" - Mark 1:35-38
.....Requires Diligence in His People.......:
"And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken ----diligently--- unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, ...." : Deut 11:13
......and this same Spirit of diligence is a ---hallmark of His Ministers---.
" And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. " Acts 5:42.
Apollos -- a believer that rose to prominence in Corinth... "This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and ---being fervent in the spirit---, he spake and taught ---diligently--- the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John." - Acts 18:25
Diligence is not sexy or cool. Patiently putting one foot before another is not like a 100 yard dash. Carefully checking to see if something is true takes time and effort. But the rewards are great....
We end with some meditations on Diligence from the book...
Pro_4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Controlling one's spirit is the key issue.... that will help you deal with the reality of a material existence!
Pro_10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Pro_12:24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
Pro_12:27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
The careful people take good care of their profits and possessions.
Pro_13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Seeking God will give you spiritual peace and happiness that you have only dreamed of!
Pro_21:5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
Interesting one... the diligent seek to build up a surplus... the hasty rush to spend what they have!!!
Pro_22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
Hardworking, RELIABLE people are worth their weight in Gold, and Kings know this!!
Pro_27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
Really good advice... be careful to stay on top of things!!
Have a blessed week, and be diligent to Love the people you come across!!!
Hallelujah!