Day 12: Be Diligent

Scripture to Memorize:
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
Proverbs 31:12-13
Passage to Read:
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you suggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the handsto rest--
and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.
Proverbs 6:6-11
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to be like the ant and not require external motivation but to work diligently because that is what you ask. However,Lord let me only labor at those things that are pleasing to you. Lord you know that I can appear busy with business, I can waste time on things that do not matter. Teach me the self-control of the ant so that I labor diligent on the work that you have put before.
I confess Lord that there have been times when I have been over indulgent in sleep. Sleep far longer than my body required. Therefore Lord use my internal clock to awaken me so that I can spent time with you and allow you to direct my day. When at work Lord help to me devote my time there to work needed by my employer instead of wasting time on things that my employer is not paying me for. Help me to be cheerful in doing the work that you have put before me and that my employer is paying me for and not become irritable, ill-tempered, demanding, and help me to focus on my work and not concern myself with what others are doing. Holy Spirit help me bring balance in my sleep so that my enemy, the devil, can not lull me into unneeded sleep or wakefulness over worries that I need to turn over to God. God wake me in the morning eager to spend my day with you. In the sweet name of Jesus, Amen.
Personal:
In this section today Donna encourages us to not run ourselves ragged but also to remember that God calls us to hard work and diligence. She quotes Newton's law of motions that states a body at rest tends to stay at rest, while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. She said that she is not a morning person but that she has found that the direction she sets in the morningis where the day heads.
Snooze, you lose. She also stated that she thinks the snooze button was inspired by the devil as a way to keep Christians ineffective because if he can keep us in bed so that the time we would have spent with God is lost and the devil has the upper hand against you the rest of the day.
She said that she wanted to live her life in such a way so that when her feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says "Oh, no, she's up!" I think that would be great also but tend to fail miserable when it comes to getting up early in the morning. However, I am going to try her suggestion of asking God at night to awaken me when I've had enough sleep and to give me the willingness to get up at that time and not go back to bed. Then I plan on doing something productive with that time. First and foremost to spend some time with God through prayer, meditation, and listening with my prayer journal handy. Then if there is still more time to exercise before going to work even if that is to just take a short walk.
Affirmation: I am diligent like the ant. I consider its ways and grow wise.
Practical:
I am going to set my alarm for 8 hours of sleep. When the alarm goes off, or before if I wake up refreshed, I will get up and get busy. I will make it an adventure to see how many mornings I can awaken just before the alarm goes off. If I wake up before the alarm I will get up and get going instead of laying in the bed waiting for the alarm.