Proverbs 13:4 – “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”
Every soul has a desire. Saved or lost; rich or poor; spiritual or carnal; every person has something (or things) that they wish to see made manifest in their life. The desires of the soul are not to be confused with the desires of the flesh, they are separate and distinct. A hungry person may desire food, but that desire is of the flesh. A desire of the soul is altogether more complicated and harder to define.
A desire to see one’s family members saved and in fellowship with God is a desire of the soul. Likewise, a desire for companionship is had by many souls in our country; yet, their endeavors are overwhelmingly met with failure (see the statistics on divorce rates if you need further convincing). The soul, given to man by God when He breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils, knows that there is a better existence. The very soul of man knows that there is a God and the soul knows that once there was a paradise where man walked in the flesh with the Almighty. This understanding by the soul gives it the unquenchable desire for “something better” and, if left unchecked, the carnal man will grope through the darkness of sin trying to find satisfaction.
The void in man’s soul that left by sin and the separation from our Creator are the cause of desires of the soul. Adam and Eve had no desire (before they purposed to be as gods themselves) while living in Eden because God was their satisfaction. Outside the grace of God, we have no idea what sins a person would willingly commit for the slimmest chance of satisfying the urge of their soul. Yet, those who have believed on Christ know that on God can satisfy the desires of the soul.
I can preach until I have no voice, give a person every copy of a gospel tract ever printed throughout history, pray for them without ceasing, fast and give up all I have to become a missionary to one person … but even all that won’t see that person saved. It takes the Lord to fulfill my desire to see the Lost saved. Your soul may desire Godly home and spiritual family, but browbeating your family members with the Bible at every opportunity will not make them spiritual, it takes God to do a work in their hearts.
Churches are filled with Christians who have Godly and noble hungers in their soul. They are constantly mentioning what they would like to see God do but there is no urgency to their talk. They are sluggish, and they will go hungry. In order to see our souls’ hungers satisfied, we must be diligent in our daily life. Note that diligence is different from commotion. Martha (the sister of Lazarus) was very busy in preparing a meal for and hosting the Lord Jesus, but Mary (and everyone else in the house that was truly diligent) was the sister that had her hunger satisfied.
Diligence is making sure that we remove ourselves as obstacles to God’s will and ensuring that we are positioned where God can use us as He sees fit. A diligent saint will undoubtedly leap to action, but only when they are certain that it is the will of God and in accordance with God’s timing.
So many people are saved, on their way to Glory and are starving in their souls. They may know what they need, they may have faith that God will provide it, but they are sluggish. Notice how many people in Jesus’ earthly ministry were diligent enough to get to the Master at all costs. How many made a commotion, or pressed through the crowd, or tore roofs off of houses to lower their loved one through. They had faith, undoubtedly, but they were diligent enough to make sure they removed everything that could hinder their hunger from being satisfied and left the rest in God’s hands.
Who would do better come the harvest? One man plants his seed, leaves the field, and does not return until the harvest. Another plants his seed and each day, until the harvest, inspects the field to spot (and address) anything that could lead to him being hungry once the reaping is over.
Your fellowservant in Christ,
Bro. Jordan Foster
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