Proverbs 12:27b, Realise Your Dreams!

June 25, Proverbs 12:27b

Matt. 25:14-29 “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Lk. 21:19).

Realise Your Dreams!

But the substance of the diligent (sharp, decisive) man is precious. His substance is what is of worth, or enough to satisfy. This man is the opposite of the slothful. He enjoys the fruits of his efforts. He gets a rich return, but this means more than just money! His substance may not be great in the eyes of some, but to him it is precious. It is worth its weight in gold! Most precious of all, it comes to him with the blessing of God. There is a general principle that labour enhances the relative value of a man’s possessions. The opposite is also true, “What costs nothing is worth nothing! It is only a bag of moonshine.” Consider these two reasons why his substance is precious to the diligent.

1. It Ennobles Him. We can view all of life as a great hunting experience. We pursue knowledge, pleasure, fame and fortune. The slothful man quickly drops out. He finds it either too demanding or very boring. He easily loses interest. The diligent person, however, rises to every challenge and stays the course to the end, and rejoices when the harvest is reaped. His strength increases with his unwearied effort. This should be true of every Christian pursuing the challenge of discipleship in Christ. He is unlike the new “convert” who has no root in himself, but dureth for a while, or for whom the cares and riches of this world prove too much (Mt. 13:20-22). These are the stony-ground hearers who begin with much enthusiasm, and seem to make real progress for a while, but under pressure and persecution they wilt and die. The cost is too great. The diligent, however, has received the word into good ground, and brings forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixth and some thirty (Mt. 13:23). He can experience Christ’s Victory in every situation, and his substance ennobles all of life for him (2 Cor. 2:17-18).

2. It Enriches Him. The substance of the diligent man is precious. The law here is simple. Real substance is the reward of the diligent. What is counted real substance by you, is a measure of your grasp of the gospel (2 Cor. 2:14). God gave a promise to Joshua, Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, that have I given thee (Jos. 1:3), but, in large measure, Israel failed to possess their possessions (Jud. 18:9). Spiritual paupers are a shameful sight, and who is to blame for their condition? The eager believer, like the diligent, counts his substance precious, both ennobling and enriching him. Through Christ’s work of redemption, he receives all things richly to enjoy (1 Tm. 6:17), and is blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3, 14). The true believer is a person possessed with the riches of Christ. “Your privileges will be enlarged, your substance will be enriched, your God will be honoured, your crown will be secured.” Isaac Watts wrote:

How vast the treasures we possess! How rich Thy bounty, King of grace!
This world is ours, and worlds to come. Earth is our lodge, and Heaven our home.

Thought: Are you as ennobled and as enriched as you should be in Christ?

Prayer: Please give me patience to possess my possessions.