Vintage Wisdom - Diligence Verses Laziness

Last night I was thrilled because we had a total of 10 ladies at growth groups (including myself). One of my dear sisters in Christ wasn't able to make it because she's got the flu, and another because she had some issues with the electricity in her home, but we still had a full house. Everyone was participating, too, which I love because each one of us is special to the Lord and has something to say that can help someone else.

The topic this week was diligence verses laziness. When I first saw this title, I didn't think of it applying too much to myself. After all, I'm always busy with something, how could I possibly fall under the category of lazy? But diligence is a "constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken." (dictionary.com). It refers to doing things in a timely manner instead of putting things off till the last minute. That is also a form of laziness. I was quickly convicted.

Let's face it, we're not a society of hard workers. Americans like everything fast and easy. Why slave away in a kitchen when you can pop something in the microwave? Why spend the day cleaning house when you can pay someone else to do it for you? Why walk anywhere when you can jump into the car and be at your destination in a fraction of the time? Everything quick, so we can have extra time. To do what? Sit in front of the television set? Doesn't sound like a very good use of our time.

One of the ladies in the group made an excellent point. Nothing we have belongs to us, including our time. When we misuse time, it's God's time we're failing to use wisely. He has given us a specific amount of time on this earth, and we should be using that time for His glory. That goes perfectly with the Scripture found in Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." It's easy to put things off when we're doing it for someone else, but when we're doing it for Jesus, suddenly our tasks take on a whole new significance. If we consider everything we do as unto the Lord, we'll be sure not to slack.

We don't like to think of ourselves as lazy, yet how many times don't we put things off just because it's something we don't like to do? We make excuses: I'm too busy, there's other more important things I need to take care of first, it takes too long. Proverbs 22:13 tells us how silly some of our excuses really are: "The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!"or, "I will be murdered in the streets!'" So we put off things like balancing our checkbooks, paying bills on time, caring for our health, visiting elderly family members, studying God's Word, only to later regret and complain because these important things didn't get done.

How do we break this cycle? I found the answer, once again, in the Scriptures. "David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished." - 1 Chronicles 28:20. David was speaking to Solomon about building the temple, but this truth applies to any task that needs to get done. Our Heavenly Father is with us every step of the way. We don't need to be afraid, we don't need to feel discouraged. The Creator of all the universe is our Father. He will help us get the work done.

Do you have anything you've been putting off? I think it's fair to say we all do. So let's be diligent, and get it done. We'll all feel better about it in the long run.

Vintage Wisdom - Wisdom Verses Folly

Last night our group reviewed the first 9 chapters of Proverbs with a study called "Wisdom Vs. Folly." The first thing we were asked to do was name a favorite TV or cartoon character that is always messing up, and another who is very clever. My picks were Lucy Ricardo from I Love Lucy, and McGyver. I don't think there's anyone who hasn't laughed at some of Lucy's antics. Her schemes never worked, but boy were they hilarious! McGyver I admired because he could get out of any predicament with just a paper clip and a rubber band. The guy was a genius! Then the question was, what's the difference between the two? Simple: I wouldn't mind being like McGyver, but even though Lucy was funny, I sure wouldn't want to be like her.

We went over the differences between being knowledgeable, wise, and foolish. Knowledge is knowing things. It's what you've learned, thanks to reading, studying, investigating, etc. What you do with that knowledge is what determines whether you're foolish or wise. I think that hit home with us all. One of my precious ladies admitted she'd never really asked for wisdom and therefore didn't consider herself wise. We were able to point out to her that she is indeed very wise, because she is a godly woman who reads the Word daily and obeys God's commands. See, if you have much knowledge but don't use it, it's just wasted space in your brain. Much better to have a little knowledge that is put into action, than have much knowledge that is completely ignored.

So in the end, this is what we determined to be true. Wisdom = not just listening to the Word, but also doing what it says so that we can see the results. Folly = listening, even agreeing, then doing whatever we want. This brings no positive results, only regrets. James 1:22 puts it plainly, "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

Want wisdom? You need to do two things:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

- James 1:5-8

Ask, and believe. That's it. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and understanding as you read His Word, then believe He's gonna do it. Watch and see what the Lord will do for you!