The Preacher’s observation in Ecclesiastes 10:7 is worthy of our reflection. It is indeed an interesting sight to see servants promoted to the level of riding on horses; of course, God is more than able to do this for those who love Him. However, it is an evil thing when princes are relegated to the position of walking on foot as servants. For those who profess to be God’s special people, such a situation is an anomaly and must be avoided. It is practically the same as performing below potential. The pertinent question we should consider is, how come those who should be served are now in servitude? Thankfully, Proverbs 6:4-11 does not only reveal the cause, it also reveals the cure.

Laziness is the root cause of performing below potential. Any prince caught in the web of laziness will not amount to anything in life. Instead, his or her inheritance will go to other hands that are diligent, because God’s principles set out in Proverbs 12:24 says:
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”
Poverty sends people to the field of servitude, and this is inevitable for the indolent. There is the story of two friends who went to an oracle to know their future. The seer turned to one of them and said, “Hail, the future king!” On hearing these words, he went away and began to celebrate himself as the future king, even though he was still in rags. The seer turned to the other man and said, “You will die in abject poverty.” He was dejected, but determined in his heart that he would fight to be successful, and so he went into the jungle and began to farm. After many years, he became prosperous, having plenty goods with male and female servants. A famine came to the town where his friend was living, still waiting for his “kingdom” to come. While searching for food, citizens of this town discovered the hardworking man and his abundance of supplies. They begged him to become their king, promising to serve him in exchange for food to survive the famine. That was how a man who was supposed to die in penury became a king, while an expectant “future king” remained poor for the rest of his life.

In conclusion, please note that diligence itself is time-bound. There is time for everything under heaven. When some things are done belatedly, their purpose ends up being defeated. Proverbs 6:4-11 teaches about the ant, which provides food in the summer and gathers what it needs in harvest. What you do today determines what becomes of you in future. The cure for poor performance is proper preparation. For example, if you’re ambition is to become just a messenger, you don’t need a university education for that. However, if you desire to become a captain of industry, more often than not, you will need more than elementary education to achieve this. A word is enough for the wise.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.