Diligent Christianity
By: Sam Barclay
In 1997, a man named Michael Drosnin wrote a popular book called “The Bible Code”. In his book Drosnin claimed that the Hebrew Bible was filled with hidden messages encoded in the scriptures. He claimed that the messages could be deciphered by looking for certain patterns in letters, and when decoded, these messages foretold of major future events and catastrophes. This book, without a doubt, intrigued and piqued the interest of many Biblically uninformed people, and as a result, caused the book to reach the best sellers list. Nevertheless, any student of God’s word who understands the basic rules of biblical hermeneutics (the art of interpreting the Bible) understands that this view of scripture is certainly absurd. However, in the same token, isn’t there some truth to the fact that the Bible does have patterns in it — patterns that through inspiration were divinely placed in scripture on purpose to teach a particular lesson? It may not be patterns in letters that unlock some special code that predicts the future, but rather patterns in words that are used over and over again to teach us spiritual truths that God feels are important for us to know. I believe the answer to this question is YES, and I believe this practice is commonly and clearly on display in scripture, with a particular word being used time and time again — diligence.
In the Bible, a form of the word diligence is used 62 times. “Diligent” is used 15 times, “diligently” is used 37 times and “diligence” is used 10 times. Interestingly, there are 11 different Hebrews words and seven different Greek words that are translated into these three words. Yet, if one were to study the meaning of all these words, one would find that they describe the intensity and the expending of energy that is needed in earnestly seeking God and His kingdom. They also describe an attitude of an heart that is committed to this endeavor and will not give up until the goal is reached. Furthermore, it is of interest to note that one of the richest word pictures for the word diligence in scripture is the Hebrew word “charuwts“, which means “a trench that is dug” or “gold that is mined“. Thus, what this particular word teaches us is that the same energy, passion and dedication displayed in the mining of gold should be displayed by us as Christians in our service to God and His kingdom. Therefore, in the Bible we find God inspiring the writers to use this word, and words like it, in some of the most important verses in all of scripture.
- Hebrews 11:6 (Diligent in faithfully seeking God).
- Romans 12:11/ Hebrews 6:9-12 (Diligent in my works for God).
- 2 Timothy 3:16 (Diligent in my handling of God’s word).
- Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (Diligent in teaching my children about God).
- Deuteronomy 6:17 (Diligent in keeping God’s commands).
- Proverbs 4:23 (Diligent in protecting my heart from evil).
- 2 Peter 1:3-8 (Diligent in seeking Christian graces).
- 2 Peter 1:10 (Diligent in making sure of my election).
It is plain to see that God has put much emphasis on this word in scripture and since He has, I believe we need to seriously consider it and examine ourselves to see if this word truly describes our Christian character. Someone online wrote…
“Some of mankind’s greatest contributions have come from people who decided that no sacrifice was too large and no effort too great to accomplish what they set out to do. Edward Gibbon spent 26 years writing “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”. Noah Webster worked diligently for 36 years to bring into print the first edition of his dictionary. It is said that the Roman orator Cicero practiced before friends every day for 30 years in order to perfect his public speaking. What stamina! What persistence! Now let’s think about how much energy we put into the Lord’s work. The comparison can be rather embarrassing. And it should lead us to ask ourselves some heart-searching questions: Why is our service for Christ sometimes performed in a halfhearted manner? Why do some people who pursue earthly goals put us to shame with their diligence?”
Is the diligence of the world putting to shame the diligence displayed in our Christian lives? Can we honestly look at ourselves and say that we have been diligent in our worship to God, in our service to Him and to the studying of His word? If we’re unable to answer yes to these questions, then we have reason to fear, because hasn’t God made it apparently clear (through His word) that He desires for us to be this way (John 12:48)?
