What Is Diligence?
I. Diligence is active; It does
not sit around and do nothing (James 1:25)
A.
God is active and we are to imitate
Him-Jeremiah 1:12 AMP, James 1:25 AMP, Eph 5:2
1.
Active-That has the power or quality of acting, action, motion,
opposed to passive, to move with speed; nimble; lively; brisk; agile; 3. Busy;
constantly engaged in action; pursuing business with vigor; opposed to dull, or
slow; 4. Requiring action or exertion;
B.
Slothfulness is inactive, idle and negligent in the Word
1.
They neglect it, they’re inactive with it,
and when they do spend time with it they’re negligent in that they’re not
giving they’re attention to it
2.
Diligence is active in the word; it’s reading
the Word and doing the word constantly and it’s busy in doing it; it exerts
itself in the Word
C.
When you’re active in the Word you live by
this Word (Matthew 4:4)
1.
This word is my life
D.
Are you active or inactive, idle, and
negligent where the Word is concerned?
II. Diligence is passionate,
eager, enthusiastic, and has desire
A.
Slothfulness is lukewarm, indifferent,
unenthusiastic, lacks passion and zeal
1.
Revelation 3:16,19-Jesus said your lukewarmness makes him want to vomit
a.
19-He didn’t suggest that you be zealous;
this is a command
2.
Jesus just because you hate lukewarmness I make the decision to be passionate, eager,
and enthusiastic by faith
a.
He’s command wasn’t to feel zealous, it was
be zealous (Rom 12:11 AMP)
b.
That means be zealous whether you feel
zealous or not; act zealous by faith
B.
Are you passionate, eager, and enthusiastic
where the Word is concerned or are you lukewarm, indifferent, and
unenthusiastic (Ps 119:131 AMP, 2 Tim 2:15 AMP)?
III. Diligence works and exerts
itself
A.
Diligence zealously seeks for something with
all of one’s heart, strength, and might.
Diligence presents a picture of one who seeks something so passionately
and determinedly that he literally exhausts
all his power in his search (Heb 11:6)
1.
Diligence had nothing left to give to the
task because it gave all that it had
a.
Mark 14:24-Jesus poured his blood out; he had
none left to give
b.
This does mean that you should run yourself
ragged; weakness is not of God
c.
It does mean you should be led by the spirit
and do everything he says with all your might (Ezra 7:23)
2.
1 Samuel 30-David returned from battle to
find his family taken and house destroyed. He wept until he had no more power
to do so. His men want to stone him. David encourages himself in the Lord and
pursues the enemy. He then fights the enemy for 24/36 hours straight and then
collects all the spoil.
B.
Slothfulness is reluctant to labor and never
gives its all
1.
Slothfulness always has more it could give
and always could’ve done better
C.
Are you exerting yourself where hearing and
doing the Word is concerned or could you give more? Are you busy and hard-working in the Word?
IV. Diligence is insistently
regular, repeated, and steady in application, constant in effort/exertion to
accomplish the task
A.
Diligence means constant and persistent in
devotion to what you are doing
1.
2 Timothy 4:5 AMP-Be calm, cool, steady and
do the work
2.
Hebrews 12:1 AMP-Run with steady and active
persistence
3.
Exodus 17:11-12 AMP-Moses had to be steady to
see victory
4.
Genesis 49:3-4,22-24-Joseph was steady,
Rueben wasn’t
B.
We got to be steady and insistently regular
in the Word
1.
John 8:31-32-The Word is supposed to be the
house in which you abide, but many believers have made it a place they visit
C.
Slothfulness doesn’t care enough to be
insistently regular, repeated, and steady
D.
Are you insistently regular, stead, and
constant where hearing and doing the Word is concerned?
V. Diligence is focused,
interested most earnestly, pays attention, and always acts with purpose
A.
Diligent people will not be distracted
(Proverbs 15:19, Mark 4:18-19)
1.
Thorns are cares that draw in another
direction away from the Word
2.
The slothful guy is always distracted away
from the Word; They lack focus
a.
The word’s not coming to pass in his life
because it’s choked by cares
b.
The slothful are always distracted away from
the process of diligently hearing and doing the Word
3.
Diligent people are absolutely 100% focused
on the task at hand
a.
They are methodical about the Word and the
things of faith and they methodically go about their business until the Word
comes to pass
b.
You can’t get a diligent man to lose focus;
he’ll stay focused until victory manifest
c.
They don’t allow distractions to come in and
choke the word
B.
Diligent people are interested most earnestly
and pay attention (Mk 4:24, Lk 8:18)
1.
Proverbs 4:20-Short attention span and
slothful go together
2.
Slothfulness is uninterested and doesn’t pay
attention to detail
C.
Diligent people act with purpose (Acts 11:23
AMP)
1.
Slothfulness goes through the motions
D.
Are you focused, interested, paying attention
to detail, and always acting with purpose where hearing and doing the Word is
concerned? Or are you uninterested, unfocused, and going through the motions?
VI. Diligence is doing it
correctly, exactly, right always paying attention to detail
A.
Genesis 6:22-Diligence does it all
1.
Noah got these things measured to the very
inch
B.
Slothfulness does it semi-right with a good
enough attitude and is always satisfied with second best and close enough (1
Samuel 15:1)
1.
1-Hearken-To hear, attend to, and obey
diligently
2.
8-9-This is not diligence; he didn’t do it
right
3.
15,20-21-Slothfulness will always try to
excuse itself
C.
Are you giving your time in the Word
excellence in effort or second best?
VII. Diligence exercises, trains,
and receives instruction
A.
The diligent man gets knowledge (Proverbs
18:15)
B.
Slothfulness doesn’t train or exercise and
will not receive instruction
1.
Proverbs 26:16-The slothful man doesn’t
receive instruction cause he doesn’t think he needs it
C.
Are you training, exercising, and receiving
instruction in the Word?
VIII.
Diligence is prompt, ready, on time
A.
Slothfulness isn’t ready, it’s late
IX. Diligence is quick and makes
haste
A.
Slothfulness is slow and sluggish
B.
Are you quick when it’s time to spend time in
the Word or slow and sluggish?