Soul Of The Diligent

The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

Proverbs 13:4 (NKJV)

This proverb is not about being rich materially; it is about being rich spiritually. It answers the important question, why? Why is it that so many Christians are spiritually dry? They do not grow year after year. Why is it that they have no victory? Why don’t they know God’s Word? Why do they have more fruit of the flesh than fruit of the Spirit? Bottom line: spiritual laziness.

Amy Grant sang a song called “Fat Baby.” These are the words:

I know a man, maybe you know him, too.

You never can tell; he might even be you.

He knelt at the altar, and that was the end.

He’s saved, and that’s all that matters to him.

His spiritual tummy, it can’t take too much.

One day a week, he gets a spiritual lunch.

He’s been baptized, sanctified, redeemed by the blood,

But his daily devotions are stuck in the mud.

He’s just a fat, he’s just a fat little baby!

So, question: How important is your own personal spiritual life to you really? There is absolutely no richer, sweeter return on an investment of time and energy than to be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. God himself makes us a wonderful promise: “The soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” And you can take that to the spiritual bank!

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Every day at the bottom of the page is the One Year Bible reading for the day. Through the years I have heard people say, “Oh, I tried reading with a schedule, but I gave up after a while.” Hebrews 5:12 challenges us to grow up: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (NKJV). Spiritual maturity only comes to those who learn to eat the manna of God’s Word for themselves. Don’t just rely on teachers to spoon-feed you. Will you try again? There are some valuable lessons in today’s reading that will challenge you and feed you and help you to grow.

One Year Bible Reading

Joshua 9:3–10:43; Luke 16:19–17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 13:4