Proverbs 10:4

Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.

Idle. Negligent. Lazy. Slothful. Slack. Various Bible translations use these words to describe the work habits of the one who becomes poor…and setting aside poverty based on oppression or addiction or short-term challenges like a natural disaster, this makes perfect sense. God made mankind to be productive – in His image – and so that is the key that unlocks the door to His blessings on our work.

Of course, many Christians in the Western world do not see themselves as “poor”, per se. Do you have a roof over your head? A car or two in the garage? Plenty of food in the kitchen? Clothes to wear? Decent internet speed and cable television? A smartphone? Some money to spend on entertainment? Then relative to most of the world, you are certainly not poor, but in fact, you appear to be rich! That’s great, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t lazy…or negligent…or a slacker.

The godly person lives with a certain zeal or gusto. They are diligent in all that they do. Some synonyms for diligent are industrious, conscientious, particular, meticulous, rigorous, careful, thorough, earnest, persevering, persistent, tenacious, zealous, dogged. Take these attributes with you into virtually any work environment and you can see how riches, to a certain extent, would follow. Does God want that for you? Absolutely! These are the attributes that unlock the potential He puts in all of us to be productive in our work.

The question remains: Are you experiencing the riches that you could be experiencing? I’m not talking about the Prosperity Gospel – the “name it and claim it” approach to success that is heresy, plain and simple. I’m talking about living up to your potential. Re-visit the list of synonyms above and ask yourself if they describe your work habits. If they do, you are probably experiencing some “riches” in your context! If they don’t, then ask the Lord to help you be more diligent in your work and then get ready…because success is not far behind!