Today we have a guest post from writer, videographer, and founder of RedeemerSavior.com — Joseph.
A diligent Christian might encounter many different endeavors of various different types to tackle every single day: work, family, church, academic, or various other personal affairs.
In many occasions, the constant juggling of our various, different duties can exhaust us, and our diligence and productivity might be curtailed as a result. In these circumstances, we would benefit from receiving an extra dose of motivation from the Scriptures, which provide it for us. There are many different verses that can help us, from the ‘be diligent in your work’ bible verse to the diligent worker bible verse.
Indeed, a substantial part of tackling all these endeavors is staying motivated, encouraged, and enticed to work hard, circumventing all the myriad of obstacles that can arise to hinder our productivity.
If you’re looking for a bible verse on working diligently to inspire you, we have 10 verses here to help you. Here are 10 Scriptures every Christian must use to stay motivated to work hard and persevere in producing the best fruits for God in an incessant manner.
Proverbs 21:17
17 “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.”
In ancient Israel, drinking wine was a common occurrence, and in the entirety of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), there are various exhortations against indulging too much in pleasures.
When my motivation to stay diligent decreases, and my procrastination increases, I love that this Scripture recommends not to have too much leisure time, and to reduce my time for pleasure activities, and not to procrastinate as this will not yield the rewards I want.
Colossians 3:23-24
23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”
This Bible verse is both incredibly beautiful and motivating to work hard and be diligent. I used this one while in college to motivate me to get As, because my professors knew I was Christian and I owed it to the Lord to have a good testimony before my unbelieving professors who respected students who worked hard to get As in their classes.
Indeed, this Scripture can apply for almost anything: An education, work, family or church environment, or if one has the most menial or most important of jobs, it is powerful to remember that whatever we do, we do primarily for our amazing God who loves us, and not for man.
1 Corinthians 15:58
58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
I love how Paul states: “Let nothing move you.” Scripture always reminds us that nothing we do in the life that God has given us is in vain.
2 Thessalonians 3:10:
10 “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
In Paul’s words in this verse of 2 Thessalonians, I become inspired to work, as Paul’s firm words leave no room for uncertainty regarding the Biblical importance of working: It is God’s wish that we be productive members of our society and work to earn our living.
2 Thessalonians 3:11-13
11 “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.”
The chapter 3 of 2 Thessalonians encompasses must-know exhortations to combat idleness. It is powerful how the apostle Paul writes that we must “earn the food we eat” and exhorts us to never tire of doing what is good, which sets the tone for how our work lives must be.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
11 “And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
I just can’t express just how beautiful it is that 1 Thessalonians and the similar Scriptures in the New Testament epitomize what the Christian work ethic should be.
Indeed, the Bible has designated an immaculate work ethic for our lives, and this needs to be preached more in churches.
Revelation 22:12
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Other translations of this Bible verse state: “I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me”, which encapsulates the beauty of this Scripture in motivating us for staying productive and diligent.
In various iterations across the Bible, we find the theme of compensation in accordance to the amount of our good fruits, and once again, per this Scripture, we are reminded that our amazing God will compensate us exactly as we have produced for him.
Luke 22:48
48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
For each us who is blessed to live in the Western world, with access to so many abundant resources, advantages, amenities, and blessed economies, this is an important Bible verse to remember.
I find the parable of the talents in this chapter inspiring to remind myself that I’ve been blessed enough to live a life with access to many things others don’t have, and God will demand more from me; I want to be prepared to present a huge amount of shining fruits for the day when he does so.
1 Corinthians 9:10
10 “Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.”
Sometimes the daily grind may feel like a hassle, or something we just can’t take anymore, but just as this beautiful Scripture reminds us, we should plow and labor in hope that our work will be generously rewarded by God.
Hebrews 6:10-12
10 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Finishing this list of motivational Bible verses to work hard, is this beautiful verse embodying one theme: perseverance. We are encouraged to remain steadfast to receive our rewards from God for all our hard work.
Just as Paul states, he will not forget it, and through steadfast faith and patience we will “inherit was has been promised.”
Conclusion
What does diligent mean? As these bible verses show, being a diligent worker comes in many different forms. In amazing exhortations against idleness, encouragements to work hard, to be a fertile land that relentlessly yields fruits for God, and to multiply the resources he’s generously given us, Scripture is a profound source for motivation to both engage in all kinds of productive endeavors and to be diligent in them. Every diligent man in the bible can serve as inspiration to us.
Indeed, motivation can help greatly in remaining diligent. I use these Bible verses to remind myself that my beautiful God will reward me if I am a productive Christian, and then my motivation to stay diligent flows naturally.
With these Scriptures, my dear Christian, I encourage you to stay motivated to be a productive Christian and like Paul said, be one who does not give way to idleness. Praise God!
Meet the author: Joseph is a writer, videographer and founder of RedeemerSavior.com. He holds a B.A. from the University of Louisville and his biggest passion in life is loving Jesus above everything else.