Pr. 12:27: “The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession.”
Have you ever made food and then left it out too long, only to found that it went bad? I have, and that’s what this lazy man did. He took the time to purchase hunting gear, to get the gear together, walk out to the perfect spot in the woods, and sit patiently and wait for his prey. After getting what he needed, he carried it all the way home, and then he just left it. All that work, just to neglect it and allow it to turn bad.
Instead of diligently caring for and protecting the provisions the Lord had given him, this man took it for granted. All that we have is from the Lord. He gives to us from His glorious riches and so often, we forget the blessing that they truly are. We begin to expect provision without giving thanks or doing our own part to take on the responsibility of caring for those things.
We can do the same things spiritually. We find a treasure in the Lord and then we do not protect it or cultivate in our lives. We just expect spiritual provisions without taking on our own responsibility of being diligent to do our part. Maybe we found the perfect scripture to get us out of our rut and get our eyes back on the Lord, but the slip of paper we wrote it on ends up in a stack of bills and becomes forgotten. Perhaps we have felt the presence of the Lord and determine to continue in His presence, but we then get distracted by a semi-appropriate show on TV that we just really love, and He can no longer remain there with us.
We take the time to wake up early on Sunday morning, get everyone dressed and out the door on time, get everyone to the right spot, and be seated in the presence of the Lord. We get all we need and more, we leave feeling blessed and uplifted, go home with smiles and peace, and then we forget all that just happened and go right back to where we were before. All that work, just to neglect it, and know that sometimes it will even turn bad.
All that we have is from the Lord. He lavishly provides for our spiritual and physical needs. His word says that when we seek Him, He will draw near to us. In order to properly care for our provisions, we must be diligent. We must diligently go over that perfect scripture and find others like it. We must pray over it and ask God to help it develop deep roots in our hearts and minds. We must diligently make time to be in His presence and remain there, allowing Him to test and try our hearts and to cleanse and purify us in the way that only He can. Diligence means we are persistent. It’s a constant effort.
The beauty of this is knowing that we don’t even have to do it our own strength. If we are truly seeking more of Him, He is the one who will provide the strength to continue. Ha! How amazing is that!? We don’t have to worry about the details of our needs. God’s got those under control. He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (the details) shall be added unto you.” Mt. 6:33.
All we have to do is seek Him. Just continually seek Him. If we will remain diligent in that, He will do the rest. We will be eating the fruit of the Spirit and dining with the King of Kings! Diligence is truly our prized possession.
Enjoy the feast,
jamie
considering the word 