Being diligent is the opposite of being lazy. Why is it important to be diligent rather than lazy? The reason is because God has only given us one life and we should do all we can with that one life to glorify God. God actually created man to work. Even before sin entered into the world God told Adam to keep and dress the garden in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
God wants people to be productive with their life and work because it is for their own happiness and wellbeing. People who work are happier than people who are lazy. It makes you feel good to produce and accomplish something with your life. Even in heaven we will be working by serving our Lord and Savior.
Revelation 22:3: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him.
So we get to serve the Lord even when we get to heaven.
Ways to be diligent and productive:
1. Strive to be productive every single day: That means to not be fiddling time away on things that don't even matter, like playing video games for instance.
2. Have goals for your life: For instance, what you would like to accomplish five years from now. If you spent a few hours a day every day for five years playing video games that would add up to a lot of hours, and what would you have at the end of five years, absolutely nothing. On the other hand, if you spent that time instead practicing a musical instrument you would have a very good talent that you could use to glorify God. The purpose is not so that you can say "look at me how great I am", that would be pride. But the purpose is to say, "look what God has done through me." Everyone should want to accomplish something with their life. That is the way God created us. If you aim at nothing, that is what you will hit every time.
3. Be diligent with your bible reading: Develop a routine of doing it every day at the same time. The bible says the Christian life is a life of striving to win the prize, and we need to be filled with the Word to run the race.
I Corinthians 9:24: Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
Philippians 3:14: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Acts 17:11: These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
4. To be diligent you must not let difficulties stop you: This is called perseverance. It means to never give up. You just keep on striving no matter how hard it is. I know a person who is an excellent example of someone who was diligent. She dedicated 2 1/2 years of her life to intense studying and work going through nursing school because she had a goal of becoming a nurse. Sure it was tough, but she kept on going until she finished. Many people drop out of nursing school because they say it is just too hard, but a diligent person keeps on going no matter how hard it is. Determine to finish what you start; with God's help you can do it. It also takes patience.
Romans 2:7: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality.
5. Do your very best at everything you do:
Ecclesiastes 9:10: Whatsover thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. What that means is during your one life here on earth is the only time you have to do any work for God's glory; after you die you will not be able to. So make good use of your life and do everything you do with all your might.
Christains are also commanded to diligently keep God's commandments.
Deuteronomy 6:17: Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
Also if we keep God's commandments he will give us good success in everything we do. God doesn't make failures, he only makes successes.
Deuteronomy 11:13: And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14: That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
Joshua 22:5: But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalm 119:4: Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
The bible also says that in all labor there is reward.
Proverbs 14:23: In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
I Corinthians 3:8: Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
Deuteronomy 11:22: For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD yours God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him:
23: Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
So the most important thing we can do is to diligently keep God's commandments and live every day to be the most productive and useful that we can so that when we come to the end of our life we can say what the apostle Paul said.
II Timothy 4:6: For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
8: Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing.
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