Christian Living

All Diligence

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
12/04/20
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“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (2 Peter 1:5-8)

The Apostle Peter is writing this passage in the full knowledge of what God through Jesus has suffered that men could find repentance, redemption, and salvation. Peter opens his letter stating the God in His divine power gives us everything to have a life lived in godliness. He has called us His children by His glory and excellence. God has given us His Word on precious promises. As followers of His Son Jesus our Christ, we can also be partakers of His divine nature. It is our part to labor to escape the moral corruption of a world filled with lust. “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4) The Apostle continues to give us what I call a road map to righteous living. (2 Peter 1:5-8)

The powers of God’s Heaven have sacrificed much to lift earth to the glory of God’s Kingdom. The grace of God has given much to humanity that they may be called to His glory. The greatest of these sacrifices being that God came as a man named Jesus and allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross in our place. To shed His Holy blood and die in our place to pay a sin debt that no man could bear. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

He has given us His only begotten Son who through the world can be reconciled by His work on the cross. He has promised us His righteousness, as ours could never be as perfect as the Fathers. He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide our steps to the Promised Land. It is then our responsibility to labor in the privilege He has given us. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13) It is for us to do the good work He has called us to accomplish in His power. It is our call to labor to bring earth closer to Heaven.

To accomplish the work that the Lord has set before us, we must be diligent in our efforts. Our Lord was diligent in His labors for the Kingdom. He did not slumber in His mission but effectively accomplished His mission according to the will of the Father. It was His only purpose, the will of the Father. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38). God the Father announced for all with ears to hear that He was well pleased with the work of His Son and awarded Him a seat at His right hand. The place of highest honor.

If we expect to receive the royalty of our rewards at the judgment seat to the followers of Jesus, then our service to Him here in this world must be completed with diligence. Many a good worker becomes weary from the labor of idleness. We must carry on towards the prize with our fellow workers to complete the work we have been given. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:10-11)

We all have heard that idle hands do the devil’s work. Our adversary is prevented from distracting us when we are busy when he comes around. I often look back on my life with regret. I see that there is much idleness in my life, and I see no accomplishment. I will someday be held accountable for that slothfulness to my Lord, who had given me that time to accomplish His work. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

Vigilance will reinforce our diligence in our work. The good work that we are called to do is of great interest to our Lord. The souls of men are in the balance. I have a firm belief if God presents us with an opportunity, we will be accountable for it. We should be vigilant in our work, being aware of every aspect.

We must be careful about what we are doing in the Lord’s service. It is not a work that happens or comes to us by circumstance. It is a work that has been ordained since before the beginning. It is a work that requires our steps in the path. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) The key to dealing with people is only to speak after we have listened. We must listen to the person we are speaking with, and then we must listen to God, our councilor. We must be in communion with Him always. “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1)

Jesus went to the cross for sinners. I do not know anyone who is not a sinner except one, Jesus. He did not go to the cross for the righteous He went for the sinner even as they were at enmity with God. Jesus went because He loves His creation; He loves you. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Our mission in Christ is to take a life living in affection for the world’s ways and move that life to love for virtue. My father was a Presbyterian minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His goal was to present Jesus so that people could not help but fall in love with Him. There is no more a virtuous man than Jesus.

To speak God’s Word, we must know His Word. I am not one who says we should read a chapter or two every day, although that is not a wrong goal to accomplish. But each day, there must be time set apart for prayer and Bible study. It is putting ammunition into our hearts, both for our edification and the edification of those we testify to. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) It is the Word of God literally, and we must speak it accurately. He will give us want we need when we need it, but we must know the word.

Our diligence is not only to be employed in the affairs of others. We are not to be judgmental of others but to accept them as God accepts them. People who need to be lead out of the broad road and guided to the narrow road. Love is the key, as God is love. Our diligence must also be directed to our shortcomings. We must remember that we are all sinners, and we all need the correction of the Father. We must be diligent in the examination of ourselves. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

The Lord God gave us His best; He sent His Son that we could be through Him reconciled to the Father. The Lord didn’t half create the universe or the world we live in. He didn’t half redeem us or hold our salvation out as a maybe. He gave His all, and that is the expected return, our all.

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, September 31, 2018