Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
When we first moved out into the big woods, I needed to get a chainsaw so that I could cut firewood for our home. I had never even used one before, so the process was all brand new to me. After a few weeks the blade would hit a rock or the dirt, and the razor sharp blade would go completely dull. Into the house I would go, completely disgusted with myself. I would dig out some round files, sit at the table, and sharpen it once again, only to do the same thing a week or two later. This went on for many years. Even though I got so frustrated with myself, I never gave up or threw in the towel. To live out here, cutting wood for my family was essential and was going to be a mandatory chore. Because of this, I needed to learn how to do it properly. Failure was not an option. 20 years later, instead of sharpening my blade every two weeks, I now only have to do it once a year. To achieve that goal requires diligence.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Diligence is characterized by steady, earnestness and energetic effort. Look at the life of the apostles as examples of faithful diligence. Diligence means to persist, to keep going, to not give up, to hammer away, to be determined to keep at it, to go the distance, to be zealous, and by staying the course.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
In order to become pleasing unto our precious God, we must possess sincere faith towards Him. We are saved by the grace of God, but salvation requires walking each day down the avenue of faith. Without genuine faith, you’ll never be able to do the will of God and please Him perfectly. God wants to reward us, and there are many ways that he can do it. But first, we must diligently seek Him from our hearts, and it is a private and personal relationship between you and Him alone.
Matthew 6:3-4, 6, 17-18 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
A reward is something given in recognition of one’s service, effort, or achievement. It’s a recompense, compensation or a reward. God is a rewarder.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
One of the definitions of a diligent person is he who shows persistent and hard-working effort in undertaking a task or duty. It’s a combination of hard work and patient endurance. A diligent person faithfully produces results, accomplishing goals. We must search out God in this manner. To diligently seek God means to seek Him out in prayer and desire to become obedient to His Word. God’s Word has the power to save us, but you must believe it enough, to do what it says.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Without obedience, we can never go through the transformation and conversion that is necessary to obtain paradise. It requires doing what we are taught from His Word. If this doesn’t happen, faith is void. It’s more than just being a hearer, it’s about becoming both a doer, and a person who takes persistent action, concerning their salvation.
James 1:21-22 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
To become pleasing unto God, it also requires perseverance. When you persevere, it means that you keep trying to do something, and won’t give up even though it may be difficult, filled with numerous obstacles and setbacks. How many times did it take you to learn how to ride a bike? Did you get up, and get back on it once again, or did you throw it on the ground and give up? We must continue to strive for the high calling of God, each and every day if we truly want to live the Christian Life. Perseverance is standing firm in your faith, and pressing forward, seeking God’s presence with a steadfast heart.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Someone who perseveres, is industrious and hard-working, continuing in a course of action, even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success. No matter what they had to endure, the Apostles pressed forward.
Philippians 3:13-15 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Endurance is a lasting effort at completing something. Christianity is more than just one step, it is a life of endurance and serving the Lord faithfully. Our salvation depends on endurance.
Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Instead of diligently seeking after God, there will be some people who attempt the Christian Life who just are not going to make it. They will only last a period of time, and then they will fall away from faith towards God, evidenced by their lack of submission to His will and purpose. Because of their lack of faith, it will become impossible for them to transform and please Him.
Mark 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
If you truly possess a diligent heart, you will strive to please God.
Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
2 Peter 1:10 …..give diligence to make your calling and election sure:…..
Diligence will result in perfection of the soul, sanctification, and becoming blameless in His presence.
2 Peter 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Like learning how to keep my chainsaw blade sharp, I needed to possess diligence and to not give up until I got it right. The Christian Life is similar. It’s a matter of pressing on, continuing to faithfully endure, and going on onto perfection by……
…….Staying the Course
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by Google searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, such as Amazon, Spotify or Google podcasts. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods.
Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 