Proverbs 12:24 says, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be under tribute.” It is not always the most talented who get to the top. It is the diligent and hard-working who are more likely to make it to the highest positions. It is a natural law as well as spiritual that the diligent will always be rewarded.

Diligence will cause us to put a lot more effort into our work. It will cause us to go the extra mile even in the face of the temptation to give up and quit.

Proverbs 12:27 NLT, “Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.” Diligent people find use for things that the lazy wouldn’t even think about. The diligent man would not only cook the meat from the deer he hunted, but also mount its antlers to hang things on. He would cure the skin to use as a floor covering or some other purpose. To the lazy, this seems like too much work. But the diligent doesn’t think like the slothful. He gets pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction from all his efforts.

Proverbs 13:4, “The soul of the sluggard (lazy) desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat (prosperous and satisfied).” There is no end to the talk of what people would do if they won a million dollars, but desire in itself is not anywhere near enough to make it happen. Desire must be coupled with diligent work. The graveyards of this world are filled with the multitudes of people who had unfulfilled desires. What a tragedy to go through life with unfulfilled dreams. As someone once said, “The pathway to hell is paved with the stones of good intentions.”

The Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”