Be Diligent

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

Many of us remember the story of “The Little Red Hen” found in the Little Golden Books so many years ago. In the tale, the industrious hen found a grain of wheat and asked her friends—the pig, the cat, and the frog—to help her plant it. Declining to help her along the stages of planting and harvesting and even the baking, suddenly when the bread was made from her labors, her friends were interested in partaking in the “work.” Sadly, this simple folk tale mimics how some Christians approach their Christian faith.

The apostle Paul often spoke of the need for followers of Christ to remain diligent and disciplined. He told Titus to preach self-discipline to the Cretans. The residents of the island of Crete were notoriously lazy, he said, but those who became believers should become “self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word” (Titus 1:8-9). He told them to be ready for every good work and careful to maintain good works (Titus 3:1, 8). “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).

Lazy Christians are not effective Christians. Let’s be diligent in our walk of faith today.

If a man’s lazy, what can you do for him? Other faults a man may overcome but I almost despair if a man is lazy. D. L. Moody