The Discipline of Diligence

There are many ways of coming up in life. Some young people spend a lot of time before   the   mirror   to   impress   others.   That’s   good.   There   are   others   who   go crowcatching.  Some  crowcatching  is necessary  in life.  Some others  blow away their notes for bribery. But very few young aspirants have discovered the big secret that  will put them on the fast-track to success —DILIGENCE!

We read in the Bible about a young man called Jeroboam. “He stood out during the construction as strong and able. When Solomon observed what a good worker he was, he put the young man in charge of the entire work-force of the tribe of Joseph” (1 Ki

11:28). Jeroboam had no father who could find him a well-paid job. So he was just a servant to Solomon (v 26). He had no green notes to pass under the table; neither did he hit the jackpot. But he was industrious and diligent. Solomon had legions of workers under him; but this man’s prowess was noticed by his superiors and soon came to the knowledge of Solomon who had him promoted.

It is this Solomon who wrote, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men” (Prov 22:29). Jeroboam’s fame did not stop there. God took notice of this youth and had a bag of surprise for him. Solomon was becoming more and more unpopular with God because of his sins. God wanted a man  to  rule  His  people after  Solomon  and His eyes  fell  on Jeroboam.  The prophet Ahijah tore his new garment into twelve pieces and asked Jeroboam to take ten. That meant God would take the kingdom from Solomon and give ten tribes to Jeroboam (1 Ki 11:26-40).

Hard workers  were a rare sight even in the days of Solomon and that’s how this youth caught everyone’s attention. Even so it is today. Young people have a lot of hopes and ambitions but they don’t like to soil their sleeves. It was Joshua, who didn’t see his wristwatch to go home at the strike of five, who was found a worthy claimant to the mantle and not Moses’ son. This young man “did not leave the tent” (Ex 33:11). Such dedication paves the way for a bigger and higher future.

“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Prov 10:4). May be David did not qualify for the army because of his age. But even before he joined the army he  was a  man of war.  That  shows he was not indolently  waiting  but training

himself. This self-discipline  made him excel all in the army, in the killing of Goliath. Gradually he ascended the throne.

“Diligent  hands  will  rule,  but laziness  ends  in  slave  labour”  (Prov 12:24).  Why? Because the diligent do things willingly but the lazy ones need to be forced or driven to do something. Few young people realise that their destiny lies in their own hands.

You must be up and about by five in the morning, be dressed and smart for the day at  least  by eight.  He who  rises  late must  trot  all day.  Even  holidays  should  not be wasted.  Fun  is  just  a  change  of  occupation.  So  get  used  to  physical  labour.  Learn whatever comes your way. Being an all-rounder will come in handy in future. Join a team of builders and try your hand at building. Help in the printing press and see how things  are  done.  Do  whatever  household  chore  you  can  take  up  and  relieve  your parents. If possible go with your daddy to his workspot and observe him at work. If you take up a little more than you can possibly do in a day, your movements will become quicker and you’ll look smarter.

Whatever is assigned to you must be done fast and flawless. Never leave a work half done. Do it to the best of your ability. When someone comes and points out a flaw or shows a better way of doing it, instead of getting irritated learn the knack. Careless and shoddy work will take you nowhere. Diligence is not just hard work. It is taking care of minute details. It is earnestly and persistently attending to a matter. If you are asked to clean a house, just sweeping  is not enough. Remove the cobwebs, dust the furniture, wipe  the  windows,  clean  the  toilet  and  bathroon,  wash  the  vessels  and  wipe  them, arrange the flower vase and then see if there is anything else to be done. Do it till there is nothing else to be done.

Good, Better and Best

Should not rest,

Till your good is better

And your better is best.

That need not be the end. You can make your best better too! In the race for quality there is no finish line. In India, why do we need a hammer  and nail to open a face powder tin? Why do our narrow-bottom tumblers tumble and spill water? Why do our bottles leak and we can’t carry them for journeys? Because, no one wants to think and improve. Still we cannot “open” our matchboxes; we can only “break open” them and spill the matchsticks! Make a list of all such inconveniences you come across. They are too many to write. Develop a quest for excellence and never settle for anything less than the  best.  Just  keep  doing  without  caring  for  credit.  Shakespeare  worked  without knowing that he would become Shakespeare.

Even an application form will speak for you. A letter neatly written on a clean paper with a margin tells the kind of person who has applied. Be faithful over a few things, and God will make you ruler over many things (Mt 25:23). Jeroboam was faithful as a servant and he was promoted over a tribe. Then the Lord made him king.

Try to meet a few who have come up in life and spend time with them exploring their secrets to success. You will invariably find that there is no elevator to success. You have

to take the stairs. A graduate is assigned the job of chopping wood. He looks around, pays  a  labourer  and  gets  the  job  done.  There’s  a  girl  stretched  forth  on  the  sofa watching TV. Mummy calls her for help in the kitchen. “Why can’t the servant do?” she whines. These two don’t realise they accumulate black marks to their credit. For those who want to come up in life, TV, novels, love of sleep, vain talk, overeating and such things are corrosive.  They taint your image and tear away precious pages from your biography-to-be-written.

Joseph was sold out as a slave. One of my uncles was a Deputy Inspector General of Prisons. I have watched hefty prisoners clean   old fashioned outdoor toilets. I have no doubt Joseph was first assigned that job. But he was able to impress his supervisor by the way he did the menial jobs. May be he finished his job quickly and volunteered to help others, taking the supervisor by a surprise. So he became Potiphar’s servant (Gen

39:3,4). Then he was made the overseer of his house. When he was thrown in the prison,

in spite of the dark despondency, he impressed the jail warden there. Then one day he stood before the king and was given the signet ring of Pharaoh (Gen 41:42). He was not catapulted  to  fame  by a  strange  quirk  of  fate.  It  was  an unfolding  development  of thirteen long years including hard labour, trials and suffering (Gen 37:2; 41:46). He was a rich carefree boy and the pet of his father. But when  the inevitable  happened,  he accepted it and put his neck to the yoke he was so unused to. Young people, it is never too late to train yourself for hard work. It only needs a willing mind. Strength is not physical capacity. It is an indomitable will and sheer persistence.

“The  lazy  man  does  not  roast  what  he  took  in  hunting,  but  diligence  is  man’s precious  possession”  (Prov  12:27).  How  can  a  lazy  man  go  hunting?  This  shows youngsters passionately throw themselves only into things that interest them. Hunting is interesting but cooking is boring. Young people should not say, “This is not my calling. I am a doctor” or engineer or M.A. or M.Phil. Mark Twain said, “Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.” It can make the difference between success and failure in your life. “The   lazy man desires and has nothing; but the diligent shall be made rich” (Prov 13:4). Yes, the sleepy fox catches no chicken.

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty” (Prov 21:5). One who fails to plan, plans to fail. Many failures are due to improper planning. A young lady forgets an important paper and hurries back home to get it. She misses the bus and arrives late for her interview. There is no need to say that  she found  herself  on the wrong  side  of  the door.  She not only  missed  her interview but also a prosperous future. If she had got everything ready on the eve of the interview,  her  life  would  have  taken  a  brighter  turn.  At  least  mentally  plan  your tomorrow and aim to finish one or two major works. That gives you a strategy to work on.  Filling  up  forms  meticulously  and  noting  down  oral  or  telephone  or  written messages accurately are also very important disciplines. Never be in a position to say, “Oh, I thought you said...” God doesn’t help those who don’t help themselves. See that you don’t need to be told twice to do a thing. Do a little more than expected. Eliminate “I-have- forgotten” from your vocabulary.

Paul knew Titus from the early years of his ministry (Gal 2:1). Observing him over the years Paul testifies of him: “Our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many  things”  (2  Cor  8:22,23).  See  how  carefully  the  leader  was  observing   the subordinate before he could call him a coworker and partner. One who is not a diligent subordinate cannot be a diligent leader. So Titus was entrusted with the Macedonians for whom he cared earnestly and diligently (2 Cor 8:16,17). He was diligent to  know the state of his flocks, and attend to his herds (Pro 27:23). Then he rose up to the position of appointing elders (Tit 1:5).

One who sweeps under the carpet will one day surely own a carpeted house!

Divine Blessing

Diligence is good; but without  divine blessing  it will come to naught.  That’s what happened to Jeroboam. The prophet Ahijah told God’s word to Jeroboam when the two were  alone  (1  Ki  11:29).  Then  how  did  Solomon  know  about  it?  (11:40).  May  be Jeroboam started to brag and rebel against the king (v 26). He did not patiently wait for his time but used fleshly tactics to capture the throne. When Solomon tried to murder him, he fled to Egypt. When King Solomon died, he returned and God gave him the ten tribes.

God had very clearly told Jeroboam that if he kept His commands and walked in His ways, He would bless him (11:38). But when he became king over ten tribes he secretly feared in his heart that the people may go to Jerusalem to worship and become subjects of Rehoboam. So he made two golden calves and put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. He told the people not to go to Jerusalem but to worship the calves (12:28,29). So God was angry with him and destroyed him completely.

Isn’t that a very sad end of a man chosen for his diligence? You may be physically strong and industrious, socially influential and intellectually brainy. But all will come to naught if you are not spiritually-minded.  Anything that you do must be blessed by the Lord. Joseph, Daniel, David were all diligent. But their success was because God was with them and prospered all they did (Gen 39:3,23; Dan 6:28; 1 Sam 16:18). God may be Alpha and Omega in your lips when you worship. But is He A to Z in your life? Are you careful to study God’s Book as you study your textbooks to diligently obey it?

Many industrious people have lost everything because they did not walk in the ways of God. Many godly people have achieved nothing because of laziness. We need both. We need to be industrious and we need to walk in the ways of God. The horse should be prepared for the day of battle—that is our part. But deliverance is of the Lord (Prov

21:31). Do your best, prepare for the worst—then trust God to bring victory. We must labour and build the house. Then the Lord will enable us to complete it. The watchman should not pray for safety and go to sleep. He should stay awake and watch. Neither should he think if he watches over, everything would be safe. He should plead to God for safety. Then all shall be well (Psa 127). Work as if everything depends on you, and pray as if everything depends on God.

How to thrive when others flop? Diligence and Divine Blessing are the answer!