Proverbs 13:4 say -
“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”
Who is a sluggard?
A sluggard is a habitually lazy person.
He is unwilling to work hard and develop his God's given skills.
He has little to offer to others.
He is a sleepy person who sleeps at the time he is supposed to be working.
He is someone who sleeps over his work or responsibility.
He is slow in performing his responsibilities. Yet, even when he starts, he is always complacent; he is not ready to go forward.
He is not ready to press towards fulfilling what God has called him to do, or the assignment he has been given.
That’s why the Scripture tells us in Proverbs 6 verse 6:
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:”
You know the ants, … they are small beings, small insects, yet they have a lot of wisdom to fulfil the task that is always ahead of them. They may be slow; but they are consistent to complete their assignment.
A sluggard is somebody, despite being slow, he is not consistent, he is not pressing on to fulfil the task. He just starts and lazes about, and he is not able to fulfil what is put in his hand.
That’s why the Bible is saying there – “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:”
You can receive wisdom from the ant. They may be slow, but they are consistent to complete their assignment.
And it continued in that verse 7, it says–
“Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,”
That’s, they don’t have anybody to guide them or overseer what they are doing, or have a rod to place upon their head, telling them – you must complete this task immediately. They on their own decide to move on to fulfil the task.
Proverbs 6 verse 8 says –
“It Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”
So, the ants knows when to provide its meat; and the ants knows when to gather what it has provided, what it has laboured for. But the sluggard doesn’t know how to provide his meat and how to gather what he has laboured for. He allows them to waste.
So, that’s what the Scripture is asking there in Proverbs 6 verse 9 –
“How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?”
That’s a question for a sluggard, for a sluggish person, for somebody who is not ready to do what he is supposed to do and accomplish the task that is set before him.
It says – ‘when will you fulfil that task you have been given to fulfil? When will you be ready to accomplish it? Why are you busy wasting time?’
Proverbs chapter 10:26 says –
“As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.”
It is irritating when you have a sluggard working for you. It is irritating in the mouth, in the teeth; it is irritating to the eyes. It is an eyesore when you see the sluggard working, because he is not ready to do. “He desireth...” It says – “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: ...” He desires to have something, but he doesn’t put his desire to action. He doesn’t work towards his desire, in order to provide, in order to accomplish his desire. He doesn’t put action that will lead to the accomplishment of his desire.
As the Scripture says in Proverbs 10:4 –
“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”
He watches himself coming into poverty, because he is not ready to work, he is not ready to do what he is supposed to do. He is a sleepy person, a lazy person, slow-moving person who is not ready to labour and take action towards what he is desiring.
Proverbs 12 verse 11 says –
“He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.”
Verse 24: “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”
So, don’t be a sluggard! Learn to work hard:
So that you will not be under tribute,
So that you will not turn yourself into a beggar.
The sluggard will always have an excuse why he will not do what he is supposed to do, to the extent of saying– “There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.” [Ref: Proverbs 26:13].
There is always an obstacle. He sees obstacles in his way in doing what he is supposed to do. Instead of going ahead to do what he is supposed to do, he looks for obstacles, he finds obstacles. And he gives excuses because of the obstacle he is imagining in his mind.
Not that obstacle exists; he is just imagining them. And that his imagination is speaking to him, and he walks by that negative imagination which slows him down from doing what he is supposed to do.
“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” Because the soul of the diligent sees, imagines things that he will achieve; and he goes ahead to achieve them; he puts his desire into action. Faith without works is dead.
The diligent man puts action to his words, he puts action to his desire. He goes ahead to accomplish a purpose. He does not waste his time imagining things and not doing anything.
That is why the Scripture tells us in Proverbs 8:33 -
“Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.”
So:
As you are hearing the instruction of righteousness today: Don’t be a sluggard! Be an achiever. Be a diligent person who puts his hand in the plough, and is not looking back.
Be somebody who is desirous to achieve things, to achieve the purpose why God created him and put him in this earth !
“Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.”
Proverbs 8:34
“Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”
³⁵ “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.”
³⁶ “But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”
So, love to do the word of God. Love the word of righteousness. The diligent soul desires to grow in the word of God. Learn to grow in the word of God, because the Scripture says– ‘above all things you shall prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospereth.’
So, let your soul prosper. Renew your mind so that you will appreciate what God has called you to do and do it accordingly. Refuse to be lazy. But be diligent to fulfil the purpose of God in your life.
So, it is important for you to expose yourself to the truth of the Gospel, to do the will of God. Because the truth of the Gospel will let you know that faith without action is dead.
Faith must go with action! So, ‘study to shew yourself approved ..., a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ [Ref: 2 Timothy 2:15]. For “the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”
Proverbs 21 verse 5 says –
“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.”
The diligent soul considers his work. He plans towards it. He yields himself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to the leadership of the Holy Spirit; and he goes ahead to accomplish the task ahead.
KNOW IT:
That “the diligent soul shall be made fat.” Make yourself available to learn, to study to grow in the word of God, so that you will know how to be diligent in whatever God has called you to do.
That’s why the Scripture encourages us, as our Lord and Saviour told us in Gospel of John 6:27; where He says –
“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”
The word of God will teach you how to be diligent, how to walk in the will of God and how to achieve purposes; ... for the LORD hath called you for you to achieve purpose. The LORD has called you as a vessel of honour, to fulfil what He has called you to do.
Therefore, purpose to be the ‘follower of those who through faith and patience obtain the promise.’ [Ref: Hebrews 6:12]. A diligent soul will be consistent; and he will be patient, doing what God has called him to do!
You should know fully well what Hebrews 6:10 says –
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
Verse 11: “And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:”
Verse 12: “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
“The soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”
So:
Make yourself a diligent soul.
Make yourself somebody who is desirous to press unto perfection; … somebody who is desirous to fulfil the will of God for his life.
So, be consistent! And continue to press unto perfection in doing the will of God.
As the Scripture says in 2 Peter 1:5
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;”
Verse 6: “And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;”
Verse 7: “And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”
Verse 8: “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“The soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”
Be a diligent soul.
Be he that desires to bear fruit, even in old age.
Be he that is desirous to fulfil the word of God.
And as you do this, remain blessed in Jesus’ Name. Amen.