Welcome to this Daily PBJ devotional. Read 1 Samuel 24, Ezekiel 34, and Proverbs 21, 1-14. This devotional is about Proverbs 21, 1-14. The king's heart is a waterway in the hand of the Lord. He directs it where he pleases. All a man's ways seem right to him. but the Lord weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the guides of the wicked are sin. The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty. Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit. The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. The way of a guilty man is crooked, but the conduct of the innocent is upright. Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife. The soul of the wicked man craves evil, His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom, And when a wise man is instructed, he acquires knowledge. The righteous one considers the house of the wicked, And brings the wicked to ruin. Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out, and receive no answer. A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath. This is God's Word. get-rich-quick schemes have a well-deserved bad reputation. If anyone gets rich from them, it's usually just the one selling the scheme, not the one buying it or investing in it. In Proverbs 21.5, we read these words in the last half of the verse, as surely as haste leads to poverty. The word haste can refer to the desire to get rich quickly, But the verse suggests that being in a hurry generally is poverty-inducing. When we're in too big of a hurry, we look for shortcuts. We may be tempted to be dishonest. We take foolish risks. We look for big scores through gambling instead of investing for the long term. And that leads us to the first half of the verse, which says this, the plans of the diligent lead to profit. Diligence is a word that refers to the deliberate, careful, conscious effort of a person. It is a word that goes well with the word in the first part of our verse, the plans. Diligent people make plans. They don't take their life savings and give them to some guy who calls up offering to invest for them. They don't make hasty decisions. Consequently, their plans, as the verse says, lead to profit. This verse, then, contrasts two diverging paths. The path that looks like a shortcut to wealth leads inevitably to poverty, while the conscious, careful, deliberate strategy created by the diligent and followed step by step leads to profit. These verses are proverbs, of course, so they're not ironclad promises, but rather they're broad descriptions of what usually happens. Sometimes people put everything on one spin of the roulette table and do win big. But most of the time, people who try to strike it rich and do so quickly lose everything. Likewise, sometimes people plan carefully, save diligently. Likewise, sometimes people plan carefully, invest wisely, and still lose everything. It happens, but not usually. Are there any areas in your life where you're seeking a shortcut to success, a fast lane to easy street? Do you make plans and carry them out? Or are you in too big a hurry, making a living that you never have time to design a life? Consider the warning and the encouragement in this proverb. Also remember the tortoise and the hare. You may feel like your plans are taking too long to develop and that you're way behind. Don't get hasty. Trust the process of diligence. It usually pays off in the end. If you found this devotional helpful, go to my website, dailypbj.com slash subscribe. Enter your email address there, and you'll be subscribed to receive these by email. It's completely free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. But starting the day after you subscribe, you'll receive an email from me every day containing a link to the scripture readings to be in God's word every day. And you'll also receive these devotionals in audio, video, and transcript form, and that will help you apply God's Word to your life every day. Give it a try. Go to dailypbj.com slash subscribe. And please consider supporting me financially. If you're able to do that, go to dailypbj.com slash support for more information. Please share this with someone who might be helped in their life to make wise and diligent decisions by it. And I'll see you next time. May God bless you. Hope you have a great day today.