Diligence

Diligence

Deuteronomy 4:9 (NASB)

9 “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”

    Dr. J. C. Ryle, wrote, “I would just as soon expect a farmer to prosper in his business who contented himself with sowing his fields and never looking at them until the harvest, as to expect a believer to gain much holiness who has not been diligent about his Bible reading, about his prayers, and about the use of his Sundays.”

    Diligence is a theme of the book of Deuteronomy, which tells us to “diligently heed the voice of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 28:1); to “diligently [teach God’s law] to your children” (6:7); to “diligently keep the commandments” (6:17); and to diligently weed out corruption from our midst (Deuteronomy 13:13-15). Are you diligent about listening to God’s voice, teaching His words to your children, obeying Him, and ridding your life of impurities?

    According to 2 Peter 1:10, by diligence we make our “calling and election sure.” Those who follow the Lord with a constant effort of persistence grow in their daily confidence and assurance of His love. Don’t just follow Jesus from a distance. Be diligent about keeping in step with Him. Take your faith seriously every day, like a farmer cultivating his crops.

    Richard Greenham “Diligence makes the rough places plain, the difficult easy, and the unsavory tasty.”