March 21

Mar 21 - Today from Proverbs 21 we consider verse 5
"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."

Patience is a virtue. It is one of the characteristics of our Lord, listed in the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:11, 12. Some of the synonyms for patience are "perseverance" and "long-suffering". James 1:2-4 teaches us that patience grows only in trial. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." For what other purpose would one need patience?
Everyone makes mistakes. But when you stop and think about it, the impatient seem to make the most - and the costliest. As a rule, adolescents make a lot more mistakes in life-issues than do mature adults. I certainly did. And to be perfectly honest with you, my adolescence lasted well beyond my teens. I never really even got a handle on patience until I met my Savior at the age of 30. That was only the beginning. I still didn't develop patience as quickly as I perhaps should have because I got into some theology that basically taught that you could bypass patience with faith. If you had enough faith, you didn't need too much patience. I guess that I didn't read James 1:2-4 well enough. The testing of faith doesn't bypass patience; it develops it - if one allows it to do its work.
On my second trip behind the iron curtain into Communist Romania in 1987, the Lord had finally gotten my attention on this whole issue of faith, prosperity. . . and patience. On that trip with my wife and our two sons I came face to face with some of the most prosperous people I had met up to that time, and they had very little of this world's goods. They were rich in faith, and I envied their intimacy with the Savior. I still do. The richness didn't come through faith formulas from faith preachers. Their richness came through patience in trials. It changed my outlook on faith. Since that time I have met many 'prosperous' people, both at home and abroad. They all had one thing in common; they allowed the trials of life to temper the character of Christ into their own character. It is a gift of God's grace, but like all gifts, it must be received and embraced in order to do any good.
Our proverb for today speaks practically about material matters. We must develop clear goals and clear plans to reach those goals - and then be diligent in our pursuit. This is fundamentally how successful people operate. It is reckless and immature to set a goal and then go after it without a plan; a clearly marked path of pursuit. There are too many pitfalls and distractions in this world, and the goals are seldom, if ever met. All the pursuer ends up with is wasted time, effort and resources. They either become burdened with regret at their own folly, or bitterness toward others who get blamed for the derailment. It is very difficult to derail a person who has a plan and the endurance to work it.
Our proverb also speaks of spiritual matters. Paul often referred to our relationship with God as a race (1 Cor. 9, Gal. 2 & 5, Phil. 2, 2 Tim. 4). Not to see how fast one could finish, but to be sure that one finished at all. His analogy never included speed. It always referred to perseverance - being diligent to follow the course laid out for us. The issue isn't losing one's salvation so much as not fulfilling God's higher calling and purposes in life. People who live in right relationship with God and persevere in the purposes of God are the richest, most prosperous people on the face of the earth. The key is not speed, but patience.