Proverbs 21:5,  The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

The importance of thoughts!

Sometimes we think that thoughts are not important, that thoughts are just thoughts and have no bearing on reality.

But this proverb reminds us that before actions take place thoughts take place.

Thoughts are simply words of the mind before expression takes place through the mouth, the hands or the feet.

Thoughts are plans, thoughts are intentions, thoughts are devices, thoughts are imaginations, thoughts are means or inventions or purposes or ideas.

The mind of man is always thinking thoughts.

The mind of man is designed by God to be employed in thinking toward a particular subject or object. It is designed to focus.

The mind contemplates or extends to it or stretches to it.

Teachers say to their students, "Stretch your mind."

Think thoughts, Students toward a particular subject or object.

Doesn't your Pastor in each preaching service ask you to direct your thoughts toward the message at hand!

You will be surprised at what you will accomplish!

This proverb tells us about the thoughts of two types of people.

Two people, both created by the same Creator, but having different results solely from their thought life.

Two types of people. One is diligent, the other is hasty.

On most occasions in the book of Proverbs there is a comparison between diligence and sloth.

Between the slack hand and the hand of the diligent, between the lean soul of the sluggard and the fat soul of the diligent.

Proverbs like these compare effort versus no effort.

But this is not the case in our proverb for today.

This proverb shows us the result of effort verses effort.

There is effort being made by both types of people but with different results.

One effort results in the fruit of plenteousness and the other effort in the fruit of want. What is the difference?

What makes one effort a success and the other effort a failure?

The difference has to do with thoughts.

Thoughts are the seed that bare the fruit. Good seed or bad seed.

What are thoughts of the diligent?

Thoughts of the diligent are long range thoughts.

They are thoughts that produce consistent plodding. (To travel or work slowly or with steady laborious diligence)

Not stop and go thoughts but constant steady progress thoughts.

They are patient thoughts, they are waiting on the Lord thoughts.

They are thoughts that produce a steady effort.

They are thoughts that know that constant effort will result in increases by degrees, little by little degrees of gain.

Not thoughts of instant gain but gain over time realized by effort of the body or the mind.

They are thoughts that do not yield to discouragement.

They are "keep on keeping on" thoughts.

They are thoughts that tend only to plenteousness.

In other words the diligent man, the diligent woman's thoughts always are involved in profit, in increase.

The diligent person is a profitable person because the diligent person thinks profitably. Diligence starts with the mind!

The diligent person desires addition to his or her life.

The diligent person desires growth, fruit, increase, profit!

The diligent person always thinks toward being on the upward way, gaining new heights every day!

The diligent person's thoughts are plans that tend toward profit.

He thinks profit, how am I going to make a profit?

How am I going to get increase? This is his thought life, toward plenteousness.

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.

Should not a Christian be diligent? Is diligence a worldly thing?

Should not a Christian desire plenteousness for God.

For what did God create you and for what purpose did he purchase you by the precious blood of Jesus Christ?

To make God a profit! God is in the fruit of the Spirit business is he not?

Is he not working a work of grace in your life?

Doesn't he desire his work to make a profit?

He desires to bear fruit in you and in me. Fruit=profit!

He desires to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

This fruit is his profit in us and he desires us to be profitable for him. Are we not his work?

Titus 3:8, says, ........that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Was not Jesus Christ stern in his condemnation of the servant that buried his talents instead of making a profit for his master?

He said in Matthew 25:30, .... cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God is a profit making God and those that are godly are also to be profit making by being diligent in all things.

But what of the later part of this proverb? "but of every one that is hasty only to want."

What are thoughts of the hasty? Thoughts of the hasty are short range thoughts.

They are stop and go thoughts.

Impatient thoughts, they are not waiting on the Lord thoughts.

These thoughts do not produce steady progress.

They are thoughts that desire large gain rapidly, not gain by little degrees.

They are thoughts that yield to discouragement.

They are thoughts that tend toward want, toward lack, toward failure, toward unprofitably

Haste is not the mark of the diligent.

Haste is the use of the hand before the use of the mind.

Haste gets out in front of the thoughts.

Haste may impress with its activity but it has no staying power, no endurance, no stick-to-itiveness.

Haste does not wait on God. Haste drives or presses to rash or unconsidered projects. Haste is busy but gets no where.

Haste does not sit down and count the cost of the tower to see

whether it have sufficient to finish it?

Haste lays the foundation, and is not able to finish it and all that behold the unfinished tower begin to mock haste.

Haste expects immediate results built on delusions or dreams.

Haste lives on excitement but as a seed which springs up in haste soon withers, haste's purposes are disappointed.

The Christian life is to be a diligent life not a hasty life.

It is not a series of 100 yard dashes.

It is expressed in Hebrews 12:1,  Where we are told to,  .... lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.