Rich Hand Poor Hand
Proverbs 10:4 NKJV
4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
Okay, the title is an obscure seventies reference to a mini-series called "Rich Man, Poor Man." It was a television series about two brothers who took divergent paths in life. Our proverb for today contrasts the hand that makes rich versus the hand that makes poor. And the application goes beyond financial status.
The person with the slack hand becomes poor. The word slack means laziness or negligence. The book of Proverbs takes a dim view of laziness. Different proverbs indicate that laziness will cause someone to be put to forced labor. That the lazy will not rule. The lazy person will suffer hunger. We can look at laziness and see that it will not produce good results.
The contrast is the diligent person. Diligence from the dictionary means earnest and persistent application to an undertaking; steady effort. And Proverbs is big on diligence and ties diligence directly to success. All things being equal, the person who is diligent is going to wind up better off than the lazy person. Notice I said all things being equal. If your father owns the business, you may get away with being lazy. But it will show up in other areas.
So here is an area where all things are equal—spiritual growth. God is totally fair, and all who come to Him have an opportunity to grow and develop spiritually. Diligence will make someone rich spiritually, and slackness will create spiritual deficiency. I am not saying that someone who is lazy spiritually is any less loved by God or is lacking in capacity. But someone who neglects spiritual disciplines is not going to be as vibrant spiritually as someone who is diligent. I realize that I am writing and speaking to people who are diligent enough to listen to or read a devotional. So I am going to assume there is a level of diligence present. And good for you. We all need the diligence to pursue growing in grace and our understanding of God and His Kingdom. Paul wrote Timothy and told him that godliness, living for God, is profitable in this life and the one to come. Jesus told parables about the servants who were diligent to use the talents their master gave them to produce a return. The master commended the faithful, diligent servants, but had a problem with the one who did nothing with what was entrusted to him.
The bottom line is keep on keeping on. Keep on reading and meditating scriptures. Keep on being diligent to put God's Word into practice. Keep on praying and seeking God. You are not wasting time; you are getting richer spiritually.