There’s a verse in Proverbs that I learned as a teenager. I think my parents wanted me to learn a good work ethic – and rightly so. Today I think it has a lot to say to the diligent wife as well.
Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4
Although the verse addresses our careers and finances, it also is about your marriage.
If you are lazy in your marriage, you will have a poor union. A lackluster relationship. A marriage that’s more of a drain than a fresh spring.
Thankfully on the other hand, if you are diligent as a wife, you will have a wealthy marriage.
A wealth of love.
A wealth of warmth.
A wealth of joy.
What does it mean to be diligent?
Diligent = characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort
Are you steady, earnest and energetic in your efforts as a wife?
That’s challenging isn’t it? But let me add something that I read from Carol Kent. It’s a quote by Leonard Ravenhill,
The question isn’t ‘Were you challenged?’ The question is: ‘Were you changed?’
The Bible doesn’t just challenge us. It changes us.
Here’s Proverbs 10:4 in a different version:
A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
Purpose in your heart this week that you will be diligent as a wife. You will give 100 percent of yourself to getting to know your husband and meeting his needs. Don’t worry – as you do this – he will return the favor. And if he doesn’t (yet), God will make sure your needs are met.
The hand of the diligent wife will be made rich!
