The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. – Proverbs 21:5
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I love chapter 21 of Proverbs, especially when thinking about business. It covers all the bases about how we do business. It asks us to do what is right, not to be too proud, not to lie, and even reminds us to help the poor.
The highlights of Proverbs 21 is about dealing with excess. “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor.” (vs 17) It is not that God does not want us to have pleasure, He just does not want us to become distracted by good things only to miss the more important things.
Let’s get back to our core verse. Like many verses in Proverbs it has a parallel thought with a good and a bad outcome. God is encouraging us to plan and be diligent. We care about our business and pour our efforts into doing something that pleases God. Then, He reminds us not to act in haste.
‘Haste’ is a word that we have to be careful about. As entrepreneurs, we want to be quick to take action. We believe that speed of implementation is important to success, and it is. However, we can’t just jump on every bandwagon that comes along. We must have a diligent plan and stick to it.
I have worked with a lot of business owners who jump from one project to the next. They never give time for their projects to be a success before they hastily jump to the next big thing. It is like the Bible says, “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6
As entrepreneurs, we see opportunities and that is a good thing. We also must see the purpose and plan for which God created us. God gave you a single purpose for Him and anything that distracts you from that purpose is basically a sin. That may sound harsh, but not doing what God says is disobedience and disobedience is sin.
If you have been distracted, get back to your ONE purpose and stick to it until you succeed. Put all your work and care into that purpose and have a singular focus to do what God has called you to do. God has a plan for you and He wants you to succeed, but only if we ask and do not doubt.
Take time this week to seek Gods direction and purpose especially if you are not clear about God’s plan for your life. Set a plan in motion to fulfill that purpose to honor God with your obedience to His purpose for your life. He knows you can do it, and that is why He gave you a purpose and a plan to succeed.
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. – Proverbs 21:5
