Developing Diligence
2 Peter 1:5-11
Introduction.
If you are good at anything, likely diligence was required.
Some people are more naturally inclined in certain areas than others, true.
But regardless of what you’re good at, you must have worked hard to get there.
If you’re a great teacher, scientist, accountant, manager, barber, car mechanic, plumber, electrician, or musician, hard work was involved.
In SotM study, we saw that narrow and difficult path that led to life.
Few found that path.
The entrance to His kingdom will be abundantly supplied to us if we are diligent.
Diligence, however, is never easy; otherwise many will find that path.
Definition of diligence:
Study, earnest, and energetic effort.
OBSOLETE: speed, haste – interesting when we consider the Greek word.
GREEK (σπουδή): haste, with haste; earnestness, diligence; earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything; to give all diligence, interest one’s self most earnestly. – likely strengthened from word for “foot.”
In this passage, we are told to add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
Doing so will do you no good if you lack diligence!
If you want to be good at being a Christian—making your call and election sure—you will be diligent in these things!
Jesus is a great model for diligence (John 4).
Develop a passion (John 4:31-38)
Develop a purpose (John 4:35).
Develop a plan (John 4:3-26).
Develop a prayer.
Body.
Develop a Passion.
You must develop a passion and desire for God.
Do you think Jesus had a passion to do God’s will? (John 4:31-38).
Jesus disciples had gone to get food (4:8).
They return and offer Jesus some (4:27, 31).
He had such a great passion for it that He called it His food! (4:34)
His passion allowed Him to see how ready the harvest is (4:35).
“One sows and another reaps” – someone’s passion may be for sowing, while another for reaping (4:36-38).
It is so much easier to be diligent with something when you are passionate about it.
I once had a passion for playing the trombone.
This made it easier for me to get better at it.
I enjoyed it and wanted to practice and improve.
“Do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
When I first went to preaching school, I thought I had a passion for the gospel.
While I was there, my passion grew with my knowledge/experience.
The knowledge that I absorbed there naturally increased my passion.
Attending worship, studying on your own, taking classes – these things can naturally increase passion.
The more you get involved in the church, the more your passion will grow.
With every success, we are encouraged, and passion grows.
We must not let setbacks discourage us and sap us of our passion.
Develop a Purpose.
We need to set a purpose and a goal.
To help us develop passion, perhaps a purpose will motivate us.
Did Jesus have a purpose? (John 4:35)
His purpose was to reap the harvest!
He wanted to bring lost souls to Him.
Elsewhere He said His purpose was to preach (Mark 1:38).
Even when He fed them and healed them, He had a greater purpose in mind.
He cast out demons (Mark 1:39), but His purpose was to preach!
It is through preaching one is converted, not through miracles (Rom. 10:17).
What purpose(s) should we develop?
To do the Father’s will.
To help people with physical needs.
To teach others the gospel (spiritual needs).
To add on to our faith, virtue, knowledge, etc. to make our call and election sure.
When we have a purpose …
We can better visualize where we want to be.
Our minds begin working on the plan (fig.: working on physics homework).
Develop a Plan.
Did Jesus have a plan? (John 4:3-26).
First, He needed to go through Samaria (4:3-4).
Jews at this time simply did not do this due to their prejudice against Samaritans.
They went around Samaria if they needed to go to Galilee from Judea.
Second, He stopped by Jacob’s well at around noon (4:5-6).
He went to where people would be, likely women gathering water.
But they usually gathered water at a different time (in the morning), so He was expecting to find a woman who was a social pariah.
He approached this woman with a simple, yet shocking, request (4:7, 9).
He got her attention, got her interest up.
He then fueled that curiosity throughout the remainder of His discussion with her.
We can’t reveal personal details as He could, but we can reveal the Word to others.
Jesus had a plan to evangelize, and so should we.
Back to the Bible lessons we studied months ago give us that plan.
If you have another plan that works for you, use it!
We should also have a plan to grow in other areas, and diligently follow that plan to achieve our purpose (goals).
How can we increase our faith and virtue?
How can we increase our knowledge and self-control?
How can we increase our perseverance and godliness?
How can we increase our brotherly kindness and love?
We will discuss these things in the coming weeks.
This is made easier with a well-developed passion.
We must also seek God’s blessing and guidance—done through prayer.
Develop a Prayer.
Let us pray about:
A plan—whatever plans we have, we must always pray about them.
For diligence—without diligence, plans ultimately fail.
For workers (Matt. 9:38)—this is a specific thing that Jesus told us to pray about. Without workers, our plans are doomed to fail.
Did Jesus pray?
It is not recorded that Jesus prayed in this specific situation in John 4.
It is, however, stated that He was often in prayer (Luke 5:16).
Remember when He stated His purpose to preach in Mark 1:38?
Earlier, He was praying in a secluded area (Mark 1:35).
We are not told the contents of that prayer.
But the fact that He did this clearly shows that He was dedicated to prayer, to communication with His Father.
After this, He recognized His purpose.
Of course, He knew this before, but it focused Him and allowed Him to carry on.
Since Jesus prayed often, let us pray often, too.
He was God, yet He still felt the need to pray.
It will focus us, helping us to recognize our purpose, and allow us to carry on.
Conclusion.
We are or have been diligent in so many things in life.
It’s hard to do well and just “get by.”
Let us not simply “get by” when it comes to our faith.
I encourage you to be diligent in increasing your spirituality.
This so that you do not become shortsighted, blind, or forgetful of His sacrifice for you.
Let us make sure we are “diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Heb. 4:11) found in Scriptures.
I pray you want to be diligent to make your call and election sure!
We have seen a way to help us become more diligent.
Make sure we have a passion, a purpose, a plan, and a prayer.
Doing these things will naturally boost our diligence.
But note, before we can add anything, we must first have the foundation of faith …