*DOMINION MANDATE DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

*DILIGENCE: A PRECONDITION FOR GREATNESS*

*BIBLE READING: PROVERBS 12:24 MATTHEW 13:44-46*

*He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4(NKJV).*

Men and women in every age are on a perpetual quest for greatness but greatness is not bequeathed to someone just by reason of birth, race, or creed; it is achieved by the intentional pursuit of predetermined goals.

King Solomon is famous as one of the richest men who ever lived, and a careful study of his life can reveal how he became great and sustained it. He requested wisdom from God which was granted to him, and he studiously applied it, the result of which was greatness. One of the cardinal instructions he left for his son and other young men is that they should pursue wisdom and value hard work. He instructed him that wisdom is the principal thing, that he should buy wisdom and never to sell it (Proverbs 4:7; 23:23).

As we consider diligence: A precondition for greatness, we will observe that it is at the core of what has distinguished men and women. A diligent man can outperform a gifted man who is not diligent.

The dictionary defines diligence as a constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of mind or body. It involves a wise application of effort, acquiring knowledge of the task at hand and applying it to the undertaking.

The rewards of diligence include:
•Profit - Proverbs 14:23; In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty (NKJV). In any pursuit in life, business, education and training, career, marriage, raising children, etc., if you apply the principle of diligence which involves the acquiring of knowledge and rightly applying it persistently in different areas of your life you will see profitable results.

•Abundance - Proverbs 21:5; The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty (NKJV). A diligent man is process oriented, he isn't just results oriented; such a person will build something that will definitely last long. The process of greatness is a marathon not a sprint. Being a diligent perosn will keep you far away from scams and Ponzi schemes.

•Leadership and influence - Proverbs 12:24; The hand of the diligent will bear rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor (NKJV). A diligent person will rise to leadership and influence. When you are looking to be promoted in your job or career, apply yourself diligently to your work. Diligence can take a man from the back to the centre stage; David was taken from the back side of the desert to serve Saul, then later he became the king of Israel, because he was diligent with his father's flock (Psalm 78:70-71). Become known in your organization as a very diligent person, do not be slack.

•Fulfillment - Proverbs 28:19; He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough (NKJV)! You will be fulfilled in your area of expertise when you are a diligent person. In Mathew 13:44-46, a man who was tilling another man's field through sheer diligence was able to buy over the field when he discovered great treasure in that same field that he leased from the owner. Tilling your career, business or job requires commitment to mental and bodily exertion.

•Authority - Proverbs 22:29; Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men (KJV). Diligence in your craft will exalt you far above the realm of mediocrity, and place you in the corridors of power.

*PRAYER
Father, I praise You because thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. I pray that You completely obliterate the veils on my mind that have caused me to limit Your grace upon my life; by Your Spirit I am strengthened in the spirit of my mind and I download working strategies that draw kings to the brightness of my light.

*CONFESSION
I decree and declare that, I arise and shine because the glory of the Lord is risen upon me, therefore, kings are coming to the brightness of my light.