SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2025
THE DIVINE MANDATE FOR DILIGENCE
Author: Pastor E. A. Adeboye
MEMORISE: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, KJV)
BIBLE READING: COLOSSIANS 3:23-24 (KJV)
[23] And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; [24] Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
INTRODUCTION: THE MISUNDERSTOOD REST
The Christian life is often mistakenly characterized by passivity and ease. Many people have misunderstood Genesis 2:2, where it is recorded that God rested on the seventh day after His work of creation. They feel that this single historical moment authorizes perpetual spiritual and physical idleness. This is a profound misreading of the nature of the Almighty.
While God ceased from the work of creation (the forming of the physical universe), He never ceased from the work of sustenance, redemption, and governance. The rest of God was a cessation of an epoch, not an end to activity. To reinforce this vital truth, Jesus Christ, the Living Word, definitively corrected this misconception in John 5:17 when He declared, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”
This statement confirms that God is not idle; He is perpetually busy. God is a diligent God, actively involved in maintaining His creation, answering prayers, directing destiny, and executing justice. Indeed, Psalm 121:4 assures us that the Keeper of Israel “shall neither slumber nor sleep.” If our Creator and Sustainer is marked by relentless, tireless activity, then His children are mandated to reflect that divine characteristic in their daily lives.
God hates laziness. Slothfulness is a spiritual contradiction, an insult to the diligent nature of our Creator, and a direct threat to the fulfillment of the divine potential placed within every believer. The mandate is clear: Diligence is not merely a secular business principle; it is a fundamental spiritual requirement for accessing and retaining divine resources.
I. THE WORKING NATURE OF GOD: A THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
To understand why diligence is essential, we must first appreciate the working nature of the God we serve. The misinterpretation of the Genesis rest suggests that once God completes a task, He withdraws. The truth is the opposite.
A. Sustaining Grace and Continuous Creation
God’s work, as affirmed by Christ in John 5:17, is ongoing. What exactly does the Father work at hitherto (to this time)?
Sustenance: God’s work involves holding the universe together. Hebrews 1:3 states that Christ (the Word) “upholds all things by the word of his power.” The diligent, moment-by-moment activity of God is what prevents the physical laws of the cosmos from dissolving into chaos.
Redemption and Sanctification: God is actively working to bring about the salvation of souls and the sanctification of believers. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). This is an intensive, continuous work.
Provision and Intervention: Every answered prayer, every sunrise, every provision, and every intervention of grace is a direct result of God’s continuous, diligent engagement with human affairs.
If the Almighty God, who has no needs and who commands all power, is constantly working, how much more must fallen, needy humanity work to fulfill its purpose? Laziness, therefore, is not just a habit; it is a spiritual dissonance with the very nature of God.
B. The Principle of Engagement (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
The words of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 9:10 serve as an urgent reminder of life’s brevity and the finite window of opportunity: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
This verse underscores the need for present intensity. We are not to merely do the work; we are to do it “with thy might.” This speaks of effort, focus, and excellence. The grave represents the terminal point of earthly opportunity. If you have a task—in your career, ministry, education, or family—it must be attacked with maximum energy now, because the opportunity is fleeting. Laziness is merely the squandering of finite time and potential.
II. THE DIVINE SELECTION CRITERIA: GOD CALLS THE ENGAGED
When you read through the Bible, you will notice a consistent pattern: God always chose diligent people whenever He needed to use men for His agenda on the earth. God never calls or anoints lazy people; He calls diligent and prudent people because He hates idleness.
A. The Call of the Disciples
The account of how Jesus chose His first disciples perfectly illustrates this divine selection criteria. They were not found idly debating philosophy in the marketplace or sleeping in their beds; they were intensely involved in their professional work:
Peter, Andrew, James, and John: Jesus found them by the Sea of Galilee. Peter and Andrew were casting a net into the sea (Mark 1:16). James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were in a boat mending their nets (Mark 1:19-20). They were physically engaged in the hard labour of their calling. Jesus’ call was not to an empty boat but to a working vessel.
Matthew (Levi): He was found sitting at the receipt of custom—at a tax collector’s booth (Matthew 9:9). While his profession was unpopular, he was diligently executing his duties.
The principle is clear: God calls people who are already actively using the talent and opportunity they have. The call to a greater assignment is often delivered on the site of your current, faithful labor. If you are lazy with the small tasks, God will not entrust you with the great ones.
B. Patterns in the Old Testament
This pattern is consistent throughout scripture:
- Moses was called while diligently tending sheep on the backside of the desert (Exodus 3:1-2).
- David was called and anointed while faithfully watching over his father’s flock (1 Samuel 16:11-13).
- Elisha was called from his field, where he was diligently ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen (1 Kings 19:19).
In every case, the message is the same: Find something productive to do and do it well, for it is in the field of diligence that the voice of divine destiny is most clearly heard. Laziness removes you from the path of promotion.
III. THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF SLOTH: WASTAGE AND NEGLECT
Lazy people cannot get the best from God. This is not arbitrary judgment; it is spiritual economics. God understands that they will waste whatever resources He gives to them, and He doesn’t like wastage. The lazy person is a poor steward, and God only entrusts His Kingdom resources to those who prove they can manage them responsibly.
A. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
The ultimate biblical warning against laziness is found in the Parable of the Talents. The servant who received five talents and the one who received two were praised because they were diligent—they went immediately and traded with their resources, doubling the initial investment.
However, the servant who received one talent was condemned not for losing the talent, but for his idleness and fear (Proverbs 26:13, the “lion in the way” syndrome). He admitted, “I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth” (Matthew 25:25).
Jesus’ verdict was severe: “Thou wicked and slothful servant” (Matthew 25:26). Laziness is equated with wickedness because it is a direct failure in stewardship. Whatever is in the hands of a lazy person will not be maintained or nurtured properly; it will be wasted or neglected.
B. The Field of the Slothful (Proverbs 24:30-31)
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, painted a vivid, mournful picture of the consequence of slothfulness, which serves as a powerful diagnostic tool for our own lives:
“I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.”
This passage reveals three clear consequences of idleness:
Thorns and Nettles (Spiritual Decay): The field represents the lazy person’s life, career, or ministry. When cultivation stops, decay begins. Thorns (unwanted habits, distractions, debt) and nettles (spiritual bitterness, unresolved issues) immediately take over. The diligent life requires constant weeding and pruning.
Broken Wall (Lack of Protection): The broken stone wall symbolizes vulnerability and lack of protection. The diligent person builds boundaries, safeguards their time, and maintains spiritual defense. The lazy person’s life is exposed to external attacks—financially, relationally, and spiritually—because they failed to maintain the walls.
Void of Understanding: Solomon equates sloth with a “man void of understanding.” Laziness is a failure of wisdom. The diligent person understands cause and effect; the lazy person lives in a state of delusion, hoping for a harvest without sowing effort.
If a fellow’s room is always rough and dirty, that is a sign that he or she is lazy. If a person does not always meet up with his or her deliverables at work, school, or in ministry, it is also a sign of laziness. The state of your physical environment often mirrors the state of your inner discipline.
IV. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LAZINESS: THE LION IN THE STREET
One of the most insidious symptoms of laziness is the psychological justification for inaction—the art of excuse-making. This symptom is recorded in Proverbs 26:13:
“The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.”
The “lion” is not a real threat; it is a fabricated excuse, a magnified danger, or a hypothetical obstacle used to justify inaction and delay. The lazy person is perpetually standing at the start line, convincing themselves that the threat ahead is too great to move forward.
A. Procrastination as Fear
If a person always talks about doing something important, but he or she is always giving one excuse or the other for not doing it yet, it means that he or she is lazy. This manifests as:
- Perfectionism as Delay: Waiting for the “perfect time,” the “perfect resources,” or the “perfect skill” to begin.
- Fear of Failure: The fear of trying and failing is often more powerful than the motivation to succeed. The slothful servant hid the talent out of fear.
- The Overwhelming Task: Breaking down a large goal into small, manageable steps is the strategy of the diligent. The lazy person sees only the massive entirety of the mountain and says, “There is a lion in the way; it’s too big.”
Beloved, God will not give you His resources or take you to great heights if you are crippled by these fabricated fears. Diligence is the antidote to this cycle of excuse and procrastination.
V. THE SPIRITUAL MANDATE OF DILIGENCE: WORK AS WORSHIP
The final, and most compelling, reason to choose diligence is found in its elevation to a form of spiritual worship. Our Bible reading from Colossians 3:23-24 shifts work from being a necessity to being a divine offering:
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
A. The Standard of Heartiness (Do It with Your Might)
The command to do things “heartily” is the New Testament equivalent of Ecclesiastes 9:10’s “do it with thy might.” It demands:
- Excellence: If a task is worth doing for God, it is worth doing excellently. Mediocrity and half-hearted effort are disrespectful to the Lord. Whether you are scrubbing floors, writing code, preparing a sermon, or raising a child, the effort must be maximal.
- Attitude: You must approach the task with a sincere, joyful disposition, not grudgingly or with complaint.
B. The Eternal Audience (As to the Lord)
This is the ultimate perspective change: We are not working for human bosses, teachers, or even church leaders; we are working as a direct act of service unto the Lord Christ.
- When you serve a difficult customer, you are serving Christ.
- When you clean a dirty corner at home, you are cleaning for Christ.
- When you meet a deadline with integrity, you are honoring Christ.
The knowledge that your ultimate supervisor is God removes all justification for sloppiness. Because the audience is divine, the standard must be divine.
C. The Reward of the Inheritance
The most powerful motivation is the promise of verse 24: “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
Diligence is not without reward. Our faithful, consistent labour is being recorded in heaven. While the world may ignore or underpay you, your heavenly Father sees every ounce of effort expended in obedience and faithfulness. This reward is not merely a bonus; it is the inheritance—the full rights and blessing of sonship.
Every task completed with heartiness and integrity is an investment in your eternal inheritance.
CONCLUSION: A CALL TO RADICAL DILIGENCE
Beloved, the time for excuses, procrastination, and spiritual sloth is over. Evaluate your life in all humility, and if you find any of the symptoms of laziness that I discussed above—the unkempt field, the chronic excuse, the unmet deliverable, or the half-hearted effort—make genuine efforts to effect the necessary changes today.
God, who is perpetually working for your good, expects you to work diligently for His glory. Your talent will not grow while buried. Your field will not prosper while neglected. Your destiny will not unfold while you are sleeping.
Make diligence your watchword from henceforth. Choose effort over ease, excellence over mediocrity, and submission to the Spirit over the dictates of the lazy flesh. To the work!
KEY POINT: Make diligence your watchword; it is the spiritual requirement for accessing and retaining divine resources.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 THESSALONIANS 1-3
HYMNAL: 4 TO THE WORK! TO THE WORK! WE ARE SERVANTS OF GOD
- To the work! to the work! we are servants of God,Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.
(Chorus)
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on:
Let us hope, let us watch,
And labor till the Master comes.
- To the work! to the work! let the hungry be fed;To the fountain of life let the weary be led;In the cross and its banner our glory shall be,While we herald the tidings, “Salvation is free!”
- To the work! to the work! there is labor for all;For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall;And the name of Jehovah exalted shall be,In the loud-swelling chorus, “Salvation is free!”
- To the work! to the work! in the strength of the Lord,And a robe and a crown shall our labor reward;When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be,And we shout with the ransomed, “Salvation is free!
