Diligence requires less talk and more action

Published 12:00 am Thursday, January 1, 1970

Success is not easily understood or there would be more of it! Learning and demonstrating certain principals can make the difference between watching others succeed and enjoying the blessings of success in our own life. One of these fundamental principles is that your God-given talent will make room for you! Proverbs 18:16 is a powerful statement that is worth considering; “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” What does this mean? If we will pursue and practice whatever we are good at to the point of becoming our best, others will recognize our talent and will be more than willing to promote us and declare to the world about what we can do. Proverbs 22:29 say’s, “Do you know a person diligent in their business affairs? They shall be presented before kings and shall not stand before mean tyrants.” Allow me to include that our talents are truly opportunities but as we are reminded of the 10,000-hour rule, they must be developed. Very similar to being an athlete, it will require vision, hard work, and determination to become outstanding. How does a marathon runner increase their stamina and endurance? Certainly not by laying on the couch and eating Cheetos! They run every day to build strength and fortitude.

Alexander Graham Bell believed that sound could be converted into electrical impulses transmitted by wire, and today, no one remembers the long list of those who thought this idea of communicating was crazy. He had a relentless passion which kept his vision alive and his legacy is still greatly respected all over the world. If you are content with doing just enough to get by, you will always find yourself helping someone else achieve their goals. However, when you decide to focus on your mission and put your entire heart into it, you can then begin to trust God, live by faith, and fulfill your mission. There are huge differences between leaders and followers and it begins with knowing who God is, who you are and how serious you are within this personal relationship. When anyone begins to invest their life into what Jesus has died for them to be, they will be planted firmly on the path to success. What is the catch? We must become pliable and willing to surrender our will in order for the seed of God’s Word to be planted deep within our soul. This field of dreams must be watered daily with prayer and the awareness of His presence in order to know our purpose and develop our spiritual wisdom.

Have you ever felt like the world was passing you by and doesn’t even know you exist? Do you feel rejected and discouraged because you are not sure what direction to go in or how your dreams are going to come true? Each of us are born with a custom designed blueprint and it only makes sense that our spiritual gifts and abilities are intended to be an important part of this highly detailed plan. The question is how many people will understand how all of this is going to come together? We have heard that nothing takes the place of perseverance and hard work but is it how devoted we are helping someone else or is it how serious we are to embrace and focus on what God has called us to do? Just because we have some success does not always mean we are following our own divine destiny.

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Let’s consider a few synonyms for the word diligent; “Industrious, hard-working, responsible, conscientious, meticulous, painstaking, thorough, aware, persevering, persistent, tenacious, zealous, dedicated, determined, committed, tireless, and undeterred.” Wow, does this describe you? These are words we need to tape to our bathroom mirror! How powerful and life-changing to incorporate these positive inspirations into our daily prayers and for them to eventually become imbedded into our conscience. An elderly chaplain told me one time that he loved his vocation so much that it never seemed like work. If you will submit and ask God to lead you, you will not have to worry about an audience, respect, recognition, finances, or God’s favor. When you discover your spiritual blueprint, and become willing to do whatever it takes to see it evolve, you will accomplish your calling.

Dr. Holland lives in Central Kentucky with his wife Cheryl, where he is a Christian author and community outreach chaplain. Reach him at billyhollandministries.com.