when i was growing up, my parents stressed this concept often. the idea that if you want the Lord to give you more, you take care of what you have.
want God to increase your territory? take care of your little garden patch that you have now!
(Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea.
So DILIGENCE is something that the Lord has been hammering on my heart as of late.
Webster's defines DILIGENCE as a "steady, earnest, and energetic effort : painstaking"
are we a diligent people?
How is it that we ask the Lord for a companion to love & care for, and yet we aren't diligent in caring for ourselves? I don't think that we need to be perfect, but I do believe that taking care of your body is honoring to the Lord. We can't ask for someone to care for, when we don't care for ourselves. I believe that taking care of our bodies (exercising 3-4 times a week for 30 to 40 minutes; eating wisely) is honoring what the Lord created out of love.
So often I hear (especially) young adults wondering about the the time when they will meet their "soul mate" and yet here are some things to consider:
HOW diligent are you with your time with the Lord.
Why would He place a companion in your life, when He sees that you can't spend quality t time with Him each day?
HOW diligent are you with your finances?
You want more, but can't manage what you have? What kind of sense does that make? (this means having to set budgets and saying "no" to things you may want to do) This may be making wise, but hard choices like taking your lunch, making your own coffee, and eating leftovers.
HOW diligent are you with family relationships?
you can't wait for a family of your own, but are you working to restore & maintain relationships with your mother/father/siblings/etc?
HOW diligent are you with your job?
you have big career dreams, but how faithful are you to your fast food job? I heard a Pastor say once; "if you work at McDonald's, then YOU be the one who puts the ketchup & the mustard on the burger in a smiley face"---the moral? be the BEST worker at your current job, so that the Lord will be able to move you to where your heart desires.
Think of David: " So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." (1Samuel 16:11)
David. A "Man after God's own Heart". God didn't call a SHEPHERD to be a KING, but rather He created a KING and made Him into a SHEPHERD. Because the Lord wanted to see how David would treat the sheep, who most people see as insignificant. And David was diligent to care for & protect those seemingly insignificant animals. And as a result, David became a King and the MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART.
David not only protected the sheep, but he also used his gifts & talents while with the sheep. (not "reserving" them for more deserving beings) He sang for them.
And lastly, consider the parable of the talents. take what you've been given, and do your BEST!
"The man with two bags of gold also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.'
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (matthew 25:22-23)
Honor the Lord with your body!
Rest, Exercise, Eat well!
Honor the Lord with your finances!
Give Him the FIRST 10% percent, and budget so you can save for the future and pay for the past!
Honor the Lord in your job!
Work where you ARE, as if it were where you WANTED to be!
"don't just PRAY for rain, PREPARE your fields!" (Steven Furtick--Elevation Church)
Here's to our steady, earnest, energetic and painstaking efforts in all things!
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