Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, / But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”

June 25th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Once again Proverbs calls us to consider the virtue of faithfulness. Certainly our heavenly Father is more concerned with our being faithful than “successful;” this proverb tells us, though, that faithfulness, diligence, leads to success. To be hasty, means a person manages their affairs rashly, impulsively, and recklessly. Taking action, without prayerful forethought and planning, will lead to failure and poverty. It is a lifelong journey to overcome the tendency to act hastily when provoked, discouraged, or even just overly excited about something.

Years ago a Midwestern lawyer became so discouraged with his productivity that he despaired of everything in life. He wrote in his diary: “I do not know if my life is worth anything to anyone. I often wonder if my life will ever be worth anything, and I am afraid that it will not.” Even his close friends and family members removed all knives and razor blades from him, fearing he would commit suicide. Through diligent prayer, meditation, and the quiet assurances of his friends, that young man began to overcome his sense of depression and went on to become one of the finest presidents of the United States of America. His name was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln took those same hard-learned lessons of diligence and wisdom in the face of discouragement and great stress with him to the White House, which aided him greatly as he led the nation through the great American Civil War. God used Lincoln’s calm ability to deal with problems, one at a time, with wisdom and God’s guidance, to help save the union.

Many poor spiritual decisions are the result of hasty overreactions, as the old saying says, “haste makes waste.” But wise believers spend at least one day prayerfully considering all of the implications and costs of a decision, before committing themselves prematurely.

“LORD, give us wisdom today as we choose to slow down and lay our decisions before You.”