Good morning amazing Divine Perspective Readers. I’m sure you had a great weekend? I did, well apart from the Arsenal tragedy on Sunday afternoon… I’m not an Arsenal fan ooooo, I just like them like that. You know, I love believing in people least believed in…Hehe (I hope i don’t get gunned for this). Ok so we continue on the Character Series by zooming in on diligence much further. You should check out the last post if you have not. Today, “ELEPH-ants” is what I’ll be touching down on. What comes to mind when you see the word “Elephant”? Let me help you… Something big, heavy and strong right? Pardon my naivity if that’s not what crosses your mind. I was originally going to tag this post “Go To The Ants”, but after a few play with words in my head, I realised I could even get my point across much better with “ELEPH-ants”. These two animals are sharp contrasts in size, but not in all cases. If you were to ask God to teach you about diligence, one thing I’m sure God won’t fail to do is refer you to the ants. There’s something amazing about the ants that God took note of and included it in the canons of the inspired Word of God.
Prov 6:6(KJV) Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
What’s that particular thing about ants that makes them a case study for the lazy man? Planning! It takes diligence to plan. A lot of mental work goes into putting pen to paper, imagining, forecasting, predicting, projecting, making plans A, B, C, D in case of eventualities and even counter plans. A diligent person finishes his work on paper before going to the field. When the word “hardwork” is seen, what comes to mind first is sheer power and physical exertion, but with God, it is not so. The bulk of what hardwork entails is mental work. The ants are small, feeble, and “leaderless”, don’t be deceived by that Ant King and Queen theory, though they do have such ceremonial leaders, those monarchs are absolute figure heads. The diligence of the ants is wired into them by God Himself. Ants PLAN. Do you? They are small and feeble, but ants are never stranded, they’re never hungry, and they’re never without help, because they would have planned ahead. I found out that when God wants to use a man to do something really huge on the earth, He usually seeks someone with the might of an Elephant combined with the detailed nature of an Ant. Might not in the sense of stature and size, but might in the sense of diligence to work, that is a large appetite to get work done. For your diligence to be complete, you must add proper planning to it, and planning requires a lot of deep thoughts.
Psalms 92:5(KJV) O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
Great works are a function of deep thoughts. How deeply do you think? I looked through the Bible and realised that if there was any man whose story was recorded in scriptures, who had the most herculean task to execute, it was the man Joseph. Joseph had a big destiny ahead of him, but God wouldn’t let him enter into it without developing in him, the ELEPHant! Joseph needed to be strong, patient, faithful and detailed enough to be able to administer Egypt for the time he would become Prime Miinister. He had to know a lot about Agriculture, a whole lot more about Economics, food storage schematics, international diplomacy, politics, mathematics and accounting for the compound interest on the saved food, and so much more. Joseph had to be an ELEPHant to be able to handle such responsibilities without crumbling under the mountainous pressure of the work load. The Elephant got him enough stamina to do what he needed to do while the Ant got him enough sense to know what he needed to do. He never stopped learning, reading and developing himself. He was sure anointed, but he had the diligence to maximise that anointing. Trust me, anointing on a lazy man is annoying. Jesus was anointed in Acts 20:38 and it was recorded that he WENT ABOUT doing good. It takes diligence to go about doing good. Mark my words… God will NEVER commit some things to a LAZY person. Laziness robs you of your inheritance in Christ. Imagine the promises God gave Eli and his lineage but he messed it all up due to laziness. Eli was such a lazy man (with all due respect to the Prophet), he was too lazy to hear from God because it was in his dispensation that the Word of God became scarce, he was too lazy and negligent to discipline his children, and of course he was too lazy to keep fit, bible records that he was so fat that when he fell down upon hearing the news of the theft of the ark of covenant, and the death of his sons, his neck broke. He actually SAT down for most part of his Ministry… So back to planning;
Prov 20:18(KJV) Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost…
Your diligence needs to translate from sheer might of working from 7a.m to 9p.m every day, to strategic planning and proper projection. Someone might ask, why should I plan? God has planned my life ahead of me, I will just walk in it, glory to God! Well, yeah you will walk in it only when you cooperate with the principles of God, one of which is diligence. Even God plans. God’s initial plan for man was messed up by Adam, but God was not caught unawares, He had provided the lamb in advance. Jesus historically died once, but spiritually, He died figuratively in 3 dispensations, symbolising different things; first before the foundation of the world, then the historical 2000+ years ago and then at the end of the world according to heb 9:26. What a detailed Genius we serve as God!!! The devil couldn’t possibly outwit Him. When you add the detail of an ant to your hardwork, the results you will get will blow your mind. God is at work within you to will and to do, He needs a ready heart that is strong to work and detailed to think in order to carry out his big purposes on the earth.
Prov 22:13(KJV) The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. Eccl 11:4(Easy English) If you are always thinking about the wind, you will not plant seeds. If you are always watching the clouds, you will never pick any plants.
If you’re always afraid of risks, always thinking of excuses to give and reasons why something cannot be done, you’re lazy, it shows you’re not detailed enough to do your due diligence and find out every possible angle of “attacking” possible problems. You must be willing to take risks as a diligent person. Be strategic, be strong, go the long haul, persevere some more, endure that hardness(not hardship), do what’s necessary not just what’s comfortable. Plan ahead for your family, your career, your ministry. If you intend to do big things for God, yourself, your family, and your generation, you will sure need DILIGENCE… while having the Hands of an Elephant and the Mind of an Ant won’t be a bad idea at all. Please do all you can to develop the virtue of DILIGENCE, it will surely translate to excellence and fulfillment in life. Have a very productive week. See you on Friday:)
