The book of Proverbs, Chapter 12 verse 24 says: ‘The hands of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labour.’
The difference between the successful and the unsuccessful is often diligence. This includes diligence in your prayer life, in studying the word of God, in your profession, family life and wider relationships.
We cannot truly succeed if we adopt a mediocre attitude to life. But when we apply ourselves diligently, we can succeed in any area of our lives. This means going the extra mile and stretching ourselves to ‘deliver’ much more than is expected of us at all times. Too many people are satisfied with doing just the minimum that they need to do to get by.
Well, if we adopt that attitude, we must not be surprised when life delivers just the minimum to us in return. We can only expect to receive what we put in.
Another verse that captures the importance of diligence is Proverbs 22:29 which says:
‘Do you know someone diligent in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.’ This means that a person’s diligent work ushers him or her into greatness and success.
Diligence will change your playing field as success through luck is largely 1%, whereas success through diligence and applying yourself to hard work is 99%. There simply is no short cut to greatness as this final verse – Proverbs 12:27 confirms: ‘The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.’ I heard someone say recently that nothing works like work itself!
The moral of this narrative? Train yourself to pursue diligence in all that you do.