Adding Personal Diligence
Derek Prince
Published: 2008
Last Updated: July 2026
Read Time: 2
The book of Proverbs reveals a powerful, two-part secret for attaining true riches that requires both God's blessing and our active participation. Learn how combining the blessing of the Lord with your own personal diligence can produce enduring wealth in every area of your life.
Two beautiful verses in Proverbs have long been a guiding light to me. Together, they sum up the conditions for true riches, or enduring wealth. One condition, the Lord meets; the other, we meet. Both conditions must be fulfilled in order for us to attain the result. The condition the Lord meets is stated in Proverbs 10:22:
“It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it” (NASB)
The great, primary condition for true riches—spiritual and otherwise—is the blessing of the Lord. We cannot count on anything being really good apart from the blessing of the Lord. On the other hand, the blessing of the Lord, by itself, is not sufficient. In Proverbs 10:4, we read:
“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (NASB)
It takes the Lord’s blessing plus our own diligence to attain to true wealth. It is not enough to simply expect the blessing of the Lord, or even to receive the blessing of the Lord. It will not accomplish its purpose in your life unless you add to it your own personal diligence. Remember, diligence is the opposite of laziness.
That is a verse I have proved true in my own experience through decades of Christian living. I have been in many different situations, in many different forms of ministry, and in many different lands and continents, and I think I can say that, by the grace of God, I have always displayed diligence in things small and great. In every situation with which I have been involved, I have left it in better condition—spiritually, financially, and in every obvious way—than the condition it was in when I found it. The blessing of the Lord makes rich, but also the hand of the diligent makes rich. Add those two together and you have true spiritual riches.
*Prayer Response
Thank You, Lord, for the promise of entering Your rest. I proclaim that “the blessing of the Lord makes rich,” and “the hand of the diligent makes rich.” I shall be diligent. Amen.
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Code: WD-B097-291-ENG