Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. – Proverbs 10:4 (NIV)

He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. – Proverbs 10:4 (KJV)

52 Proverbs in 52 Weeks – Week 34
This week’s theme:  God’s Life Hacks, simple Biblical truths to increase the fruitfulness and happiness of our lives.

God’s Life Hack:  Work Diligently (i.e., Don’t Be Lazy)

Like many Biblical truths, the message of Proverbs 10:4 is pretty straight forward:  hard work pays off…laziness doesn’t.  This verse applies just as much to the young as to the “seasoned,” but it’s a particularly great message for our kids as they return to school and begin fall activities.  God has given each of us certain talents, traits, interests, strengths, and weaknesses, but it takes hard work to shape those gifts into all that God desires for us.  Diligent studying (and yes, doing homework) leads to understanding and good grades.  Diligent practice, in sports, music, art, etc., leads to better performance.  Diligent service, at home, at church, to your friends, in your community, etc., leads to achievement.  Colossians 3:23 serves as a great guide:  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord,…” (NIV)

I’ve always been a sports fan and the fall season has begun, so we’ll close with one of my favorite examples of hard work from the sports world…
A young man in his sophomore year of high school tried out for his school’s varsity team.  He had God-given natural athletic ability and he gave his best during tryouts, but when the varsity roster was posted his name wasn’t on the list.  He was crushed and embarrassed, and he went home to his room and cried.  He was sad to have been cut, but he didn’t use the setback as an excuse to be lazy or quit.  Instead, he turned his disappointment into motivation, and he started exercising and practicing harder than he had before.  In his words,
“Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it. That usually got me going again.”
As a result, he quickly became the star of the junior varsity team that year, made varsity the next two years, and was named a High School All American–one of the best players in the country–his senior year.  That would be a great story if it ended there, but it doesn’t…Michael Jordan kept practicing hard and working diligently to improve throughout his college and National Basketball Association (NBA) career.  Despite being the NBA’s MVP 5 times and an all-star 14 times, he was known to spend his off season time practicing hours a day to improve.

Without all of his hard work, Michael Jordan would still have been a tall person with God-given physical and mental gifts, but he wouldn’t have been one of the greatest athletes of all time.  “…diligent hands bring wealth.”

Here’s a link to more of  God’s Life Hacks.

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