More Than Our Desire

More Than Our Desire…

“The soul of the lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich” (Proverbs 13:4).

This Proverb reminds me of the man who wants to have a garden. He thinks about what kind of fruits he would like so much that he can taste how sweet his tomatoes are going to be. Then he thinks about where he would plant them and what his garden will look like. And then he reads about how to take care of them so they produce abundantly. But unfortunately, his dreams stop there. Why? Because when it comes to actually doing the work to till, plant and cultivate the garden, he is unwilling. He dreams good dreams and he gains good knowledge, but no matter how much he desires or knows, the ground simply will not produce any fruit unless he does the work to have a garden.

Desire for something is not enough; it must be followed through with diligent, intelligent labor. Without labor, it is impossible to find increase. You can’t reap a harvest without labor and you can’t reap a bountiful harvest without diligent, intelligent labor. Many people want good things, but they are unwilling to put forth the labor to receive them. God says His laws will not be changed for you. You will reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7). Yet so many times in our lives we see the plain evidence; we want things to change, but we are unwilling to put forth the effort, the labor required to change; therefore, things remain the same.

This is true not just when it comes to planting a garden or working a job. It affects every area of life. Do you want to be in shape? You have to do the work of exercising and eating healthy foods. Do you want to play an instrument? You have to put forth the labor of learning how to play it and practicing. Do you want to have a good marriage and positive relationships with your children? You have to work at it; it doesn’t happen by itself. You can be rich in any area of life if you are willing to learn how to do it and then are diligent to apply what you have learned.

Left alone, a garden will produce lots of weeds, not healthy, vibrant fruit producing plants. The same goes for your life. Do you want good things? You must work for them. Having the desire for change in your life is good. Having the knowledge of how to make the change is better. But in the end, the change will only be made if you apply the desire and knowledge in your life through diligent effort. This even counts when it comes to your relationship with God.

In Chronicles 15:1-7, seeking God is said to be “work”. If you want to be close to God, it takes work. If you want to seek God and find Him, it takes work. He says, draw near to Me and I will draw near to you (James 4:8). Knowing how to be close to God by talking and listening to Him in prayer, meditation and Bible study is not enough. We must, through consistent labor, pursue God and then, and only then, will our work be rewarded with finding Him.

The soul of the lazy man desires to be close to God and yet is not; but the soul of the diligent will be made rich because He seeks for God and finds Him.