Introduction:
* I want to succeed in life – I don’t want to be a failure. I HATE failing. I want to succeed for the honour & glory of God. Don’t you?
* What areas of life do YOU want to succeed in?
• Marriage
• Child-rearing
• Business
• Education
• Finances
• Prayer
• Bible study
• Soul winning
• Personal growth
• Relationships
* You CAN be a success at these things.
* The Bible tells you how to succeed at everything you do:
BE DILIGENT
Proverbs 22:29 “Seest thou a man DILIGENT in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”
Proverbs 10:4 “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the DILIGENT maketh rich.”
Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the DILIGENT shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”
Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the DILIGENT shall be made fat.”
* The word “diligent” means to work hard.
* God ALWAYS blesses hard work.
* Tonight’s message will be one of the most simple and practical messages that you have ever heard. If you apply this truth, you WILL succeed.
** How do you succeed at everything you do?
1) Start early and finish late
* If you are on time, you are late – that is, if you want to be a success. You need to arrive EARLY and stay LATE.
* One meaning of the Hebrew word for diligent is “quick” – the opposite of slow and lazy.
ILL – Job was the wealthiest and most righteous man in the east. You could say that he was the most successful man in the world of his day. Was he “lucky” Did God bless Job for no apparent reason? No. Job was DILIGENT.
“…Job…rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.” (Job 1:5)
* If you get to work before your colleagues and stay back until after they leave, you will get more work done, and you will be a prime candidate for promotion.
Ill – Bill and Hillary Clinton averaged 4 hours of sleep a night during his presidency. What a shame that ungodly people like them have more drive and determination to succeed than Christians do!
2) Work hard
* God ALWAYS blesses hard work – and God HATES laziness!
SEE 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
* Do you want to be promoted at work?
1 Kings 11:28 “And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.”
3) Be thorough; do things right the first time
* God never blesses people who are slack, slipshod and sloppy in their work. The word “diligent” means “conscientious” – that is, to do things with care and attention to detail.
* If you’ll do the little jobs right, then you’ll do the big jobs right. There are no “little” jobs!
Luke 16:10 “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
ILL – Someone telling Michelangelo not to spend so much time on trifling little details. “Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.”
4) Always do your best
* The word diligent means “conscientious” – that is, you should have a clear conscience that you have done your very best, and given your all to the task at hand.
* God expects you to do your best – and that is all He expects.
“Do your best, and leave the rest to God.”
* You should always do your very best at everything you do.
5) Go the extra mile
* Doing your duty and performing the minimum expected of you is okay – but it is not the way to be a success.
Luke 17:10 “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”
* A successful person goes the extra mile. He does more than is required or expected of him.
ILL – Joseph – worked hard as a prisoner. “…the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison, and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.” He went the extra mile. No wonder Joseph ended up as the right-hand man to Pharaoh.
6) Don’t make excuses for failure
* This world is filled with people who make excuses for failure.
SEE Luke 14:16-20
“An excuse is a lie wrapped in laziness”
* A determined man or woman will make things happen – they will refuse to make excuses for failure.
Conclusion:
What is the number one reason for failure?
LAZINESS
* Don’t be lazy and defeated – be a diligent success!
