JUST BE 30-DAY CHALLENGE

Just BE Diligent – Day Sixteen

Webster says ‘Diligent’ means constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything; done or pursued with persevering attention; painstaking

Synonyms: persevering, assiduous, attentive, earnest, indefatigable, industrious, painstaking, persistent, studious, tireless, persisting

GOD says in Proverbs 13:4, ‘The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], but the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied (AMP).’
I can think of a lot more fun things to be than diligent. In fact, in a throw caution to the wind type of worldliness, I am sure that diligence was not being taught in too many classrooms because it seems we became careless. I wonder though if the winds of change are blowing differently across persistence and perseverance in hindsight of 2020. Families and business owners and employees, and well, everyone else also, has had no choice but to be more diligent since the repercussions of the virus have forced new habits; diligence being one of them.
While God is homeschooling His children, we are learning in this season that we need to use reasonable care and caution while wandering through our current daily situations. Even our thoughts we now need to be diligent with. Our thoughts cost us each day. There is so much media hype that has driven us inside ourselves where earnestly we have pondered, is this it? Is this all there is anymore?
But there is a constancy maybe we forgot was necessary. Is it possible that this is a lesson the Lord was wanting His children to be taught and it took a microbug to stop the world so we could be attentive enough to see its importance? Proverbs likens the soul to an appetite in our reference verse today, which is so good, because to me, it is saying our very being, our soul – the principle of life, is either craving and starving due to lack of diligence and laziness or amply supplied and rich in abundance due to willing and diligent or tireless work. And, let’s face it, who do you wish to hire for your work crew for your next job? The lazy, lethargic person or the ambitious worker who cares about his work ethic?
I always laugh when I read the Help Wanted ads where an employer has been driven to state the obvious in the job requirements. Must have driver’s license, must be able to pass a drug test, must be able to tell time, serious inquiries only. Like don’t waste my time and yours if you can’t get to work, if you can’t show up to work on time and aren’t able to work due to your choices that are more important. It kind of seems that all the ad needs to read is ‘HELP WANTED: DILIGENCE REQUIRED’.