Diligence Bible Quotes

treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.

Newspapers are the Bibles of worldlings. How diligently they read them! Here they find their law and profits, their judges and chronicles, their epistles and revelations.

He does not want a girl who trifles with Christianity. He wants a woman who is radically given to Christ. He does not want a girl who prays tepid, lukewarm prayers. He wants a woman who lives in defiance of the powers of Hell. He does not want a girl who is self-adorning with the latest fashions and trends. He wants a woman who is adorned with the inner jewelry of Christ-given holiness. He does not want a girl who dishonors and belittles her parents. He wants a woman who honors the authorities God has placed in her life and serves them with charity and gladness. He does not want a girl whose Bible is an accessory to her wardrobe. He wants a woman whose hunger and thirst is to know the Lord, and who diligently feasts upon His Word. He does not want a girl whose tongue is a deceptive weapon of selfishness. He wants a woman whose words drip with the honey of the name of Jesus.

I am much afraid that the universities will prove to be the great gates of hell, unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, and engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not unceasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.

I often think . . . that the bookstores that will save civilization are not online, nor on campuses, nor named Borders, Barnes & Noble, Dalton, or Crown. They are the used bookstores, in which, for a couple of hundred dollars, one can still find, with some diligence, the essential books of our culture, from the Bible and Shakespeare to Plato, Augustine, and Pascal.

Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains. —William Penn

Give your due diligence to understanding business or you will have no place in it.

If you want to know what time it is on God’s clock, look at Israel. Understand Israel—it’s the only nation that has its origin, history, ups and downs, and destiny all written out in advance for the diligent.

GOD proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from GOD. It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times. 28-30 When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,         while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me…” (John 5:39).

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Study God’s word to show thyself approved and be prepared for the tests that we are given. They make our faith stronger and our character more mature, so that our lives better glorify the Lord.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness [the profuseness of spiritual joy].

Only take care, and  gkeep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.  hMake them known to your children and your children’s children—

With the best of intentions, the generation before mine worked diligently to prepare their children to make an intelligent case for Christianity. We were constantly reminded of the superiority of our own worldview and the shortcomings of all others. We learned that as Christians, we alone had access to absolute truth and could win any argument. The appropriate Bible verses were picked out for us, the opposing positions summarized for us, and the best responses articulated for us, so that we wouldn’t have to struggle through two thousand years of theological deliberations and debates but could get right to the bottom line on the important stuff: the deity of Christ, the nature of the Trinity, the role and interpretation of Scripture, and the fundamentals of Christianity. As a result, many of us entered the world with both an unparalleled level of conviction and a crippling lack of curiosity. So ready with the answers, we didn’t know what the questions were anymore. So prepared to defend the faith, we missed the thrill of discovering it for ourselves. So convinced we had God right, it never occurred to us that we might be wrong. In short, we never learned to doubt. Doubt is a difficult animal to master because it requires that we learn the difference between doubting God and doubting what we believe about God. The former has the potential to destroy faith; the latter has the power to enrich and refine it. The former is a vice; the latter a virtue. Where would we be if the apostle Peter had not doubted the necessity of food laws, or if Martin Luther had not doubted the notion that salvation can be purchased? What if Galileo had simply accepted church-instituted cosmology paradigms, or William Wilberforce the condition of slavery? We do an injustice to the intricacies and shadings of Christian history when we gloss over the struggles, when we read Paul’s epistles or Saint Augustine’s Confessions without acknowledging the difficult questions that these believers asked and the agony with which they often asked them. If I’ve learned anything over the past five years, it’s that doubt is the mechanism by which faith evolves. It helps us cast off false fundamentals so that we can recover what has been lost or embrace what is new. It is a refining fire, a hot flame that keeps our faith alive and moving and bubbling about, where certainty would only freeze it on the spot. I would argue that healthy doubt (questioning one’s beliefs) is perhaps the best defense against unhealthy doubt (questioning God). When we know how to make a distinction between our ideas about God and God himself, our faith remains safe when one of those ideas is seriously challenged. When we recognize that our theology is not the moon but rather a finger pointing at the moon, we enjoy the freedom of questioning it from time to time. We can say, as Tennyson said, Our little systems have their day; They have their day and cease to be; They are but broken lights of thee, And thou, O Lord, art more than they.15 I sometimes wonder if I might have spent fewer nights in angry, resentful prayer if only I’d known that my little systems — my theology, my presuppositions, my beliefs, even my fundamentals — were but broken lights of a holy, transcendent God. I wish I had known to question them, not him. What my generation is learning the hard way is that faith is not about defending conquered ground but about discovering new territory. Faith isn’t about being right, or settling down, or refusing to change. Faith is a journey, and every generation contributes its own sketches to the map. I’ve got miles and miles to go on this journey, but I think I can see Jesus up ahead.

If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.

you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the  h diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD,  i your healer.

Through a diligent study of God’s Word, under the guidance of His Spirit, you’ll drop a strong anchor that will hold in the storms of life. You will know your God. And when you know your God, not only will you be strong, but you will do great exploits for Him (Daniel 11:32).

There are no spiritual games without pains. I would soon expect farmer just prosper in business who contended himself with sowing fields and never looking at them till harvest as expect a believer to attain much holiness who is not diligent in his Bible reading, his prayers, and his use of Sundays.

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. PRO4.21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. PRO4.22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. PRO4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of

EXO15.26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;         they will seek me diligently but will not find me.     Because they hated knowledge         and did not choose the fear of the LORD,     would have none of my counsel         and despised all my reproof,     therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,         and have their fill of their own devices.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; agive preference to one another in honor; 11not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13contributing to the needs of the bsaints, cpracticing hospitality.

George Muller, that remarkable man of such simple yet strong faith in God, a man of prayer and Bible reading, founder and promoter of the noted orphanage in England, which cared for hundreds of orphan children, conducted the institution solely by faith and prayer. He never asked a man for anything, but simply trusted in the Providence of God, and it is a notorious fact that never did the inmates of the home lack any good thing. From his paper he always excluded money matters, and financial difficulties found no place in it. Nor would he mention the sums which had been given him, nor the names of those who made contributions. He never spoke of his wants to others nor asked a donation. The story of his life and the history of this orphanage read like a chapter from the Scriptures. The secret of his success was found in this simple statement made by him: “I went to my God and prayed diligently, and received what I needed.” That was the simple course which he pursued. There was nothing he insisted on with greater earnestness than that, be the expenses what they might be, let them increase ever so suddenly, he must not beg for anything. There was nothing in which he took more delight and showed more earnestness in telling than that he had prayed for every want which ever came to him in his great work. His was a work of continuous and most importunate praying, and he always confidently claimed that God had guided him throughout it all. A stronger proof of a divine providence, and of the power of simple faith and of answered prayer, cannot be found in Church history or religious biography.

Studying a book that was finished nearly two thousand years ago may appear to some like an interesting but somewhat impractical pursuit. Quaint and antiquarian, the diligent examination of the Bible might seem better suited to an old seminary professor or a historian. We probably never actually talk this way, but we are all tempted to think like this when the busy cares of life press in on us. Reading the Bible gets placed on a mental shelf of good intentions, where it remains admired, not seriously examined and applied.

The narrow path of the righteous is an extremely difficult path to travel. The rough road to victory is a very challenging endeavor that pushes the limits of endurance. Enormous mountains of hardship, boisterous storms of adversity, and several other elements of confrontation are there in their various forms of operation to test our faith. So it’s very important for us to apply the word of our God to our lives, and believe it with unwavering faith. Then no form of adversity can keep us back from a successful advancement into a deeper progression where greater achievements are obtained.

My soul refused to be comforted. 3I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah 4You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times. 6I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit amakes diligent search. 7Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? 8Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His †promise failed bforevermore? 9Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah 10And I said, “This is my canguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 11I will remember the works of the LORD;

Studying the Bible requires hard work. It takes self-discipline and due diligence. It requires prayerful consideration of the text you are reading, along with the remote text of the other books. Reading the Bible is not a casual read like reading a paperback novel or the daily newspaper. The Bible is a rich, deep, literary, living gold-mine filled with everything that mankind needs for life – eternal life. Studying and understanding the Bible is not for the lazy. Studying the Bible requires muscle and a shovel. It requires mental muscle and a willingness to use honest intelligence (the metaphorical shovel) to dig deep beyond all of our preconceived ideas, our false beliefs, and our comfortable traditions. Studying the Bible takes muscle and a shovel.

Miss Ophelia felt the loss; but, in her good and honest heart, it bore fruit unto everlasting life. She was more softened, more gentle; and, though equally assiduous in every duty, it was with a chastened and quiet air, as one who communed with her own heart not in vain. She was more diligent in teaching Topsy,—taught her mainly from the Bible,—did not any longer shrink from her touch, or manifest an ill-repressed disgust, because she felt none. She viewed her now through the softened medium that Eva’s hand had first held before her eyes, and saw in her only an immortal creature, whom God had sent to be led by her to glory and virtue. Topsy did not become at once a saint; but the life and death of Eva did work a marked change in her. The callous indifference was gone; there was now sensibility, hope, desire, and the striving for good,—a strife irregular, interrupted, suspended oft, but yet renewed again.

Some pastors are lazy and no good” by Martin Luther “Some pastors and preachers are lazy and no good. They rely on these and other good books to get a sermon out of them. They do not pray; they do not study; they do not read; they do not search the Scripture. It is just as if there were no need to read the Bible for this purpose. They use such books as offer them homiletical help in order to earn their yearly living; they are nothing but parrots and jackdaws, which learn to repeat without understanding, though our purpose and the purpose of these theologians is to direct preachers to Scripture with such books and exhort them to plan to defend our Christian faith after death, against the devil, the world, and the flesh… Therefore the call is: Watch, study, attend to reading. In truth, you cannot read too much in Scripture; and what you read you cannot read too carefully, and what you read carefully you cannot understand too well, and what you understand well you cannot teach too well, and what you teach well you cannot live too well. Believe a man who has found this out. It is the devil, it is the world, it is our flesh that are raging and raving against us. Therefore, dear sirs and brethren, pastors and preachers, pray, read, study, be diligent. Truly, this evil, shameful time is not the season for being lazy, for sleeping and snoring. Use the gift that has been entrusted to you, and reveal the mystery of Christ.” –Martin Luther, What Luther Says: An Anthology, comp. Ewald M. Plass (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959), entry no. 3547, 1110.

Is It True? English is a really a form of Plattdeutsch or Lowland German, the way it was spoken during the 5th century. It all happened when Germanic invaders crossed the English Channel and the North Sea from northwest Germany, Denmark and Scandinavia to what is now Scotland or Anglo Saxon better identified as Anglo-Celtic. English was also influenced by the conquering Normans who came from what is now France and whose language was Old Norman, which became Anglo-Norman. Christianity solidified the English language, when the King James Version of the Bible was repetitively transcribed by diligent Catholic monks. Old English was very complex, where nouns had three genders with der, die and das denoting the male, female and neuter genders. Oh yes, it also had strong and weak verbs, little understood and most often ignored by the masses. In Germany these grammatical rules survive to this day, whereas in Britain the rules became simplified and der, die and das became da, later refined to the article the! It is interesting where our words came from, many of which can be traced to their early roots. “History” started out as his story and when a “Brontosaurus Steak” was offered to a cave man, he uttered me eat! Which has now become meat and of course, when our cave man ventured to the beach and asked his friend if he saw any food, the friend replied “me see food,” referring to the multitude of fish or seafood! Most English swear words, which Goodreads will definitely not allow me to write, are also of early Anglo-Saxon origin. Either way they obeyed their king to multiply and had a fling, with the result being that we now have 7.6 Billion people on Earth.

As it is written, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2Ti 2:15  But how can we rightly divide the word of truth? Where does the truth come from? The Lord no doubt. But without His wisdom how can we rightly divide it? Where does this wisdom come from and how do we come to the knowledge of the truth which is the word of God? But as it is also written, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” Joh 16:13  Seeing that He guides us into all truth, we can find the power to retain the word of truth through the Holy Spirit. He likewise will bring the scriptures to remembrance when it comes time to apply them. But as we discussed earlier, the scriptures need to be speaking out to us first when we read. This is the Holy Spirit breathing life into the word of God and speaking it to you. This is the scripture He is teaching you and wants you to memorize and meditate on. We as good pupils and students, need to be listening to the voice of our Teacher and Master. We need to pay attention in class, and let Him teach the lesson. He is the one who guides us through the workbook (the Bible) even as the schoolteacher leads a student to the textbook. In school the teachers tell us what we should memorize. Likewise the Holy Spirit will tell you what you should memorize. Whatever speaks out to you, God is speaking to you. Whatever God is speaking to you, you should be memorizing for later practice. If you do this, you will be able to recall the scriptures better at all the appropriate times as we discussed earlier. But you need to lean on the Lord for strength to remember them. The Holy Spirit will speak to you in the time that you need to remember the scriptures. But only if you have sought Him in memorizing it and meditating on it. When we allow the first fruits to be the work of God in us, then all fruit will be the work of God. We are not called to walk about by our strength nor are we called to gain the wisdom of God with our own strength. Rather in ALL our ways we are called to lean on Him. As it is written, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Pro 3:5-6 And earlier we said in James 1:5 that if we lack wisdom we need to ask God for it. But what does that scripture tell us? It says to ask in faith.

In Romans 12:4-8, Paul writes about gifts: “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.” Recognize that the gifts inside you are not only for you; just as the gifts inside other people around you are not only for them. We are meant to help each other. God designed us this way on purpose! All being members of one body, our successes are shared — there is no need to be threatened by another person’s gift. Use your gifts, and encourage the people in your life to use their gifts as well. You will be blessed as a result! Unfortunately, one thing that keeps us from asking for help or taking advantage of the talents in people around us is pride. Never allow pride to keep you from asking for counsel when it is needed! 1 Corinthians 12:20 is another passage about gifts: “now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ ” We need each other, and joining our gifts together will result in a much stronger body. If you have time, read 1 Corinthians 12:4-20. Reflect on how there can be unity in the diversity of gifts if we use our different gifts properly. Determine that you will not be threatened by anyone else’s gifts! Esther was not afraid of the gifts in the people around her. Let’s see how she responds to the wisdom of others today. And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her. Esther 2:11 Every day, Mordecai goes to the palace gates to inquire after Esther and learn of what was happening to her. He goes to the palace gates with purpose. He paces in front of the women’s court until he has learns the day’s news about Esther. Even though she is no longer under his roof, he stills feels a strong responsibility toward her, and acts accordingly. He is a faithful man, and has set a great example before Esther. The news that he hears concerning Esther daily must be good: her inward beauty and submission to authority are two of the many wonderful traits that God placed in her so that she will be effective in Persia. Even though Esther is in an unfamiliar place and experiencing “firsts” every day in the palace, God is making sure she has what she needs. Esther did not need to feel nervous! She needed wise counsel; it has been provided for her in Mordecai and Hegai. She needs a pleasant and patient personality; that has been being developed in her by the Lord for many years. In your own life, you are constantly undergoing change and growth as you are submitting to the Lord. Whether or not you can see it, God is continually preparing you for what lies ahead so that you will have what you need when you need it. The God who loves you so much knows your future, and He is preparing you today for what you will experience tomorrow. Esther is receiving what she needs as well. She is in the palace undergoing her beauty preparations — a twelve month process! Even through this extended period of time, Mordecai is still at the palace gates every day (the Bible does not say that he stopped his concern for her at any point). It is an entire

The problem with my casual friend was that we didn't have any real relationship. He's a sweet guy and a true lover of Jesus, but we were never close enough to speak meaningfully into each other's lives. He hadn't gotten to know Constantino and had never spent time with us to see the fruit borne of our relationship. So when he wrote me with his Scripture-spattered disapproval, my heart had little generosity to listen. Furthermore, his message consisted of nothing more than the same tired clobber passages from the Bible with which I was all too well acquainted. I had wrestled with the issue of homosexuality for twenty years — through agonizing therapy, scholarly books, thoughtful discussion, Bible study, and endless prayer. I doubt he had been so diligent about the issue. So when he asserted my wrongness with so much confidence, it felt to me like an insolent kindergartner criticizing a PhD's solution to a calculus problem.

œIf you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.â€

coming of Christ. From this we may gather a   brief definition of true Christianity -- that it is a faith that is   lively and full of vigor, so that it spares no labor, when assistance   is to be given to one's neighbors, but, on the contrary, all the pious   employ themselves diligently in offices of love, and lay out their   efforts in them, so that, intent upon the hope of the manifestation of   Christ, they despise everything else, and, armed with patience, they   rise superior to the wearisomeness of length of time, as well as to all   the temptations of the world.

With the above parable (vv. 1–15) some scholars compare a later rabbinic parable: a king paid a worker representing Israel, who worked particularly diligently, much more than he paid the other workers, who represented Gentiles. The parable’s point was that in this world God paid Gentiles back in full for any good they did, but that Israel would be blessed forever in the world to come (Sipra Behuqotai 2.262.1.9). Jesus’ point was quite different: God is gracious to bless all who serve him, including those who seem the most unexpected to enter his kingdom.

Biblical Context Only Luke has the telling of the lost coin, and Matthew and Luke make very different uses of the story of the lost sheep, perhaps suggesting that Jesus used the parable numerous times in varying circumstances. In Matthew Jesus is talking to the disciples about the significance of children, the “greatest” in the kingdom of heaven, who are diligently sought. In Luke the audience is the Pharisees and teachers of the law, and the context concerns Jesus eating with sinners. Matthew emphasizes the diligence of the search, while Luke is more focused on the celebration when the lost is found.

I don’t want to just learn theology; I want to access spirituality. The Holy Spirit helps me do that. I simply and slowly move through the text. As I am diligent to give myself to the discipline of research and reading, He is faithful to remind and reveal. You do the difficult work, and the Holy Spirit will do the supernatural work. You take time for the Word, and He will meet you there to teach you.

Thenu they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29Because they vhated knowledge And did not wchoose the fear of the LORD,

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not one office, 5 So we being many are one body in Christ, and every one, one anothers members. 6 Seeing then that we have gifts that are divers, according to the grace that is given unto us, whether we have prophecy, let us prophecy according to the portion of faith: 7 Or an office, let us wait on the office: or he that teacheth, on teaching: 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that distributeth, let him do it with simplicity: he that ruleth, with diligence: he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, and cleave unto that which is good. 10 Be affectioned to love one another with brotherly love. In giving honor, go one before another, 11 Not slothful to do service: fervent in spirit serving the Lord, 12 Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing in prayer, 13 Distributing unto the necessities of the Saints: giving yourselves to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, I say, and curse not.

Secondly, [in your study of the Bible,] you should meditate, that is, not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and rereading them with diligent attention and reflection, so that you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. And take care that you do not grow weary or think that you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you have complete understanding. You will never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is half ripe. Thus you see in this same Psalm [119] how David constantly boasts that he will talk, meditate, speak, sing, hear, read, by day and night and always, about nothing except God’s Word and commandments. For God will not give you his Spirit without the external Word; so take your cue from that. His command to write, preach, read, hear, sing, speak, etc., outwardly was not given in vain.6

The solution to our modern epidemic is for Christians to take a stand and say enough. Enough of following what the world says is a good and perfect person, family, or life. Enough of what society says we need in order to be happy. Enough of what our culture says we must pursue for a job. Enough of the amount of money our friends and family say is vital. We must diligently dig for the root of what the Bible highlights as important for a family of men, women, and children of great faith.

The issue in Bible study is not speed, but direction. What matters is not how far you get, but whether you keep at it and keep making progress. Diligence is the key.

If you don’t have time, then make the time and be diligent to study your Bible. Memorize it faithfully. You will never memorize it unless you make a commitment to do it. This commitment requires a disciplined heart.

And the Lord’s ear has not grown heavy that it can no longer hear; yet the actions of present-day professing Christians say they believe that it has! If the diligence which is now paid to the ransacking of daily newspapers in search for sensational items which are regarded as "signs of the times," and if the time that is now given to Bible conferences was devoted to confession of sin and crying unto God to raise up a man after His own heart, whom He would use to bring back His wayward people into the paths of righteousness, it would be spent to much greater profit.

Heb 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. It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

Almighty God, help me to be a good listener to Your voice speaking to my heart. I don’t want to drown it out with the noise and busyness of life. Help me to take every thought captive in obedience to Your Word. Keep me from entertaining unrighteousness in my thought life. Enable me to be diligent in not allowing anything into my mind that does not glorify You.

be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,

Where doest Thou feed Thy flock? In Thy house? I will go, if I may find Thee there. In private prayer? Then I will pray without ceasing. In the Word? Then I will read it diligently. In Thine ordinances? Then I will walk in them with all my heart. Tell me where Thou feedest, for wherever Thou standest as the Shepherd, there will I lie down as a sheep.

As we suggested in chapter one, the Lord expects us to speak out against sin, injustice, immorality, and ungodliness with courage and diligence. But we must do so in a law-abiding manner, according to the civil laws that legislative bodies and governing officials have established for us. The church is to be a godly society within the larger ungodly society, living peaceably and exhibiting good works through the transformed lives of its members. Only in those ways will we truly affect society and allow the Holy Spirit to draw unconverted people to the saving power of God. “Be

If the Bible were the most boring book in the world--dull, uninteresting and seemingly irrelevant--it would still be our duty to study it. If its literary style were awkward and confusing, the duty would remain. We live as human beings under an obligation by divine mandate to study diligently God's Word. He is our Sovereign, it is his Word, and he commands that we study it. A duty is not an option. If you have not yet begun to respond to that duty, then you need to ask God to forgive you and to resolve to do your duty from this day forth.

Scripture requires searching--much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men. The rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word, yea, upon every title of Scripture. Tertullian exclaims, "I adore the fulness of the Scriptures." No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur--who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them. God forbid that any of us should leave our Bibles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of account. The word of God will repay searching. God does not bid us sift a mountain of chaff with here and there a grain of wheat in it, but the Bible is winnowed corn--we have but to open the granary door and find it. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendour of revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought gold, and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems. No merchandise is like the merchandise of Scripture truth. Lastly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: "They are they which testify of me." No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: he who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour. __________________________________________________________________   Morning, June 10   [506]Go To Evening Reading   "We live unto the Lord."  

The diligent attendance of the publicans and sinners upon Christ's ministry. Great multitudes of Jews went with him (ch. xiv. 25), with such an assurance of admission into the kingdom of God that he found it requisite to say that to them which would shake their vain hopes. Here multitudes of publicans and sinners drew near to him, with a humble modest fear of being rejected by him, and to them he found it requisite to give encouragement, especially because there were some haughty supercilious people that frowned upon them. The

The mark of true Bible study is not knowledge that puffs up, but love that builds up (1 Cor. 8:1).

In fact, the summum bonum of this ethic, the earning of more and more money, combined with the strict avoidance of all spontaneous enjoyment of life, is above all completely devoid of any eudæmonistic, not to say hedonistic, admixture. It is thought of so purely as an end in itself, that from the point of view of the happiness of, or utility to, the single individual, it appears entirely transcendental and absolutely irrational. Man is dominated by the making of money, by acquisition as the ultimate purpose of his life. Economic acquisition is no longer subordinated to man as the means for the satisfaction of his material needs. This reversal of what we should call the natural relation- ship, so irrational from a naïve point of view, is evidently as definitely a leading principle of capitalism as it is foreign to all peoples not under capitalistic influence. At the same time it expresses a type of feeling which is closely connected with certain religious ideas. If we thus ask, why should “money be made out of men”, Benjamin Franklin himself, although he was a colourless deist, answers in his autobiography with a quotation from the Bible, which his strict Calvinistic father drummed into him again and again in his youth: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings” (Prov. xxii. 29).

Diligently examine the scriptures daily.

Work Is a Spiritual Activity Ecclesiastes 9:10 Our lives on earth will be different from our lives in eternity. The demands we are to undertake will not be like those after death. Our best response is to be committed today in our work, tasks, job and responsibilities; we must be as diligent and engaged as possible. Wherever we work, whatever we do, we are to do it with all our hearts, “as working for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). As Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

DAY 25: What specific instructions did Paul give Timothy that would apply to a young person? A young person seeking to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ can find essential guidelines in 4:12–16, where Paul listed five areas (verse 12) in which Timothy was to be an example to the church: 1. In “word” or speech—see also Matthew 12:34–37; Ephesians 4:25, 29, 31. 2. In “conduct” or righteous living—see also Titus 2:10; 1 Peter 1:15; 2:12; 3:16. 3. In “love” or self-sacrificial service for others—see also John 15:13. 4. In “faith” or faithfulness or commitment, not belief—see also 1 Corinthians 4:2. 5. In “purity” and particularly sexual purity—see also 4:2. The verses that follow hold several other building blocks to a life of discipleship: 1. Timothy was to be involved in the public reading, study, and application of Scripture (v. 13). 2. Timothy was to diligently use his spiritual gift that others had confirmed and affirmed in a public way (v. 14). 3. Timothy was to be committed to a process of progress in his walk with Christ (v. 15). 4. Timothy was to “take heed” to pay careful attention to “yourself and to the doctrine” (v. 16). The priorities of a godly leader should be summed up in Timothy’s personal holiness and public teaching. All of Paul’s exhortations in vv. 6–16 fit into one or the other of those two categories. By careful attention to his own godly life and faithful preaching of the Word, Timothy would continue to be the human instrument God would use to bring the gospel and to save some who heard him. Though salvation is God’s work, it is His pleasure to do it through human instruments.

If we are prudent and diligent in our affairs, we may trust Providence to furnish us with the bread of the day in its day.

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25 If we love the Lord, we will put down the flesh and our own will to live for God’s. Walking in the Spirit is not something we do automatically. We walk in the Spirit when we hear the Holy Spirit’s voice and convictions and obey. We can’t hear Him unless we incline our ears to Him. We must be diligent to draw near to Him and seek His voice all day every day. Thereby we will walk in the Spirit and please the Lord.

It is confidently asserted that the doctrine of perseverance leads to indolence, license, and even immorality. A false security is said to result from it. This is a mistaken notion, however, for, although the Bible tells us that we are kept by the grace of God, it does not encourage the idea that God keeps us without constant watchfulness, diligence, and prayer on our part. It is hard to see how a doctrine which assures the believer of a perseverance in holiness can be an incentive for sin. It would seem that the certainty of success in the active striving for sanctification would be the best possible stimulus to ever greater exertion.

The Christian who is not diligently involved in a serious study of Scripture is simply inadequate as a disciple of Christ. To be an adequate Christian and competent in the things of God we must do more than attend “sharing sessions” and “bless me parties.” We cannot learn competency by osmosis. Biblically illiterate Christians are not only inadequate but unequipped. In fact, they are inadequate because they are not equipped.

If we do not, then we will never be able to discern the difference between our own voice, the voice of the enemy, and the voice of the Spirit.  We must always guard ourselves diligently in order to protect ourselves from being deceived.  In many ways, we are the most blessed generation who has ever lived – our access to the Bible is unprecedented, our opportunity to read it unparalleled, and our failure to do so tragic.  The Holy Spirit will always help us to be conformed into the image of our King, to look more and more like His children daily as we submit to Him in love and trust.

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

As it is also written, “For by grace you have been saved through faith…” Eph 2:8  And also in regard to the word and the gospel it is written, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:17  Therefore seeing that a man is justified by the word of God, and living by faith in it, one must consider how to obtain the word of God. Has it not been handed to us from God since the days of old? We understand that the Lord must work in us and through us, but how does He do this in regard to salvation? Does He leave it up to us and our weak flesh to practice His word? Or is He willing to help us, and work through us? If then He will work through us and help us, then He will also help us retain the word we practice for salvation. But in regard to faith being the work of God,  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Eph 2:8-9 Salvation comes through faith in the word of God and practicing it through the inner working of the Spirit. But if He does not help us retain it, how can we practice what we do not know? How can we know unless we study it diligently? God will help us during our study time because it’s for our salvation. Is wisdom something we need to seek? Absolutely! But God is always willing to give it to you if you’re willing to pursue it. But where does wisdom come from? As it is written, “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Pro 2:6  Seeing then and knowledge and understanding come from the mouth of God we need to be diligent to listen to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our strength in our weakness in all things. It is He who works through us as we practice and meditate on the word of God. As it is written, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Php 2:13  Likewise as we memorize the word of God it is He who can help us retain the word of God, for later practice. But we are called to diligently seek His wisdom and His truth. As it is written,

Conclusion Be sure to bring your mind to a place of peace for you to memorize. Bring the whole household peace, and hide away in a secret place to be alone with your beloved. Then meditate on the presence of God while listening intently to the Holy Spirit. Read the word and as God speaks to you through the pages, memorize what He gives you in faith that He will help you retain it, using the various methods outlined above. In the end there is not one physical method that is best for everyone. There is no cookie cutter person. Some of us learn differently from others. Therefore it is best to stick with what works for you, while applying faith. The only single method that works for every believer is seeking God for wisdom and help while memorizing. God has said that it is His will to help you. Therefore Beloved, be diligent to seek the Lord in all things. He will be our strength in our weaknesses, and help us to retain the scriptures. His Holy Spirit will recall it to mind even as Jesus said. Whenever you need the scriptures they’ll be right there in your mind through the leading of the Holy Spirit. God will never fail you, He will never let you down because it is His will for you to have wisdom. He will not leave it up to you to save yourself. God will give you the wisdom to memorize much scripture if you seek Him for it. But you must have faith even as the scriptures outlined and He will fulfill what He has promised.

Ephesians bids us to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel. One of my aims as a young man was to commit large portions of the Bible to memory. This I did, and over the period of many years, I have memorized many great passages of scripture. But when we come to the Word, we really are coming to something which would teach us of the Infinite, and now with forty years of being a Christian, I have realized there are many gems to yet be appreciated within Bible study, and if I am to get them, I must dig diligently. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” says the Bible, and God has many treasures left for those of us who will search the scriptures. Shodding your feet is a lifelong process, and one I suspect may continue with us in the hereafter.

In our Christian walk we are encouraged not to remain like babes and children, but to wean ourselves from spiritual milk and soft food and grow into healthier foods. God wants us to exhibit signs of maturity, and many times this comes through very difficult life situations. My experience validates that we grow through difficulties and not through just the good times. If we are not mature, the reason is observable: We have not been workers but idlers in our study of the Bible. Those who are just "Sunday Christians" will never grow to maturity-it takes the study of the Scriptures to become meat-eaters of God's Word. We must be workers in the Scriptures. Paul told Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman... accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). We must roll up our sleeves and do the job ourselves instead of expecting a pastor or teacher to do it for us. PRAYER Father God, thank You for inspiring men of old to write Your Scriptures. They have become my Scriptures; they have become my salvation. Without the knowledge of Scripture my life would be tossed about like the waves in the wind. Thank You for my stability. Amen. HEART ACTION Discover God's strength and comfort by reading His Word each day. Single out a phrase or even a word that really speaks to your heart and carry that with you during your day.

True Bible teachers do not profess untestable infallibility; they study diligently, and prove their teachings by the Scriptures. They are willing to be examined by the light of the Bible. But false teachers hide behind their alleged revelations, mystical insights and allegorical presumptions. The following history will reveal the extent that the figurative method of Biblical interpretation has often led to fanaticism.

Parents, embrace your sacred responsibility to spiritually nurture your children, for the Bible is God's love letter to their hearts. As God's Word ignites our spirits, may we read it diligently and daily, seeking instruction, edification, wisdom, and knowledge. Remember, the Bible's inspiration by God makes it accessible to all, but understanding requires effort and dedication. So, let us not blame the Bible for our lack of understanding, but rather our own neglect to search its truths with persistence and passion.

The naïve person has accepted thoughts, teachings, and beliefs, predominantly in the name of religion of one’s birth, while subjecting such to little or no thought, questioning or validation. As a result, many carry, and pass on seeds of truth, half-truths, falsehoods, deceptions or outright lies! While it cannot be overly emphasized that the religion of one's birth may not necessarily be the true one, the onus lies on each individual to diligently dig, as it were, until finding, a narrow gate beyond which is a narrow path, and a cramped road, the true one that leads to life, characterized by truth, and walk there upon. Only then, shall one be considered to have acted wisely; as haven given thought to the words of the wisest son who ever lived. A son who was subjected to a rival contention and mockery, and whom unbelievers seduced by a godlike one deny and chose instead to fall for a lie, even lies, from the father of all lies." Inspiration, Matthew 7:13, 14; Isaiah 14:14; John 3:16; John 8:44; Matthew 4:6, Mathew 27:40, “Mankind’s Search for God”.

First, then, Puritan preaching was thoroughly biblical. The Puritan preacher found his message in God’s Word. “The faithfull Minister, like unto Christ, [is] one that preacheth nothing but the word of God,” said Puritan Edward Dering.[1] John Owen agreed: “The first and principal duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the word.”[2] As Miller Maclure noted, “For the Puritans, the sermon is not just hinged to Scripture; it quite literally exists inside the Word of God; the text is not in the sermon, but the sermon is in the text.... Put summarily, listening to a sermon is being in the Bible.

Let young people go to every party and social event but utterly neglect their souls, and no one interferes. No one says, “Save yourselves.” No one says, “Be careful. Remember God, judgment, and eternity.” But let them start to read their Bibles and be diligent in prayer, let them avoid worldly amusements and use their time wisely, let them seek an evangelical ministry and live like an immortal being – let them do this, I say, and all their friends and relatives will be up in arms. “You are going too far. You are being extreme. Live a little.

The prophecy of Amos carries an urgent message for the global church in the twenty-first century. Where God has brought material blessing to his people through honest hard work and diligence, such blessing should be received gratefully and enjoyed. Yet in light of massive worldwide needs such as poverty, lack of clean water, malnutrition, and inadequate medical care, material blessing granted to some believers must go out to those parts of the world where help is needed. To do anything less is to tragically imitate the people in Amos’s day who neglected the poor among them. Such neglect deserves, and will receive, God’s judgment.

Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as afrontals bon your forehead. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Diligence implies a plan, and haste is an enemy of planning.

PRO22.29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

I want people to fill their minds with passages of Scripture while they are well and strong, that they may have sure help in the day of need. I want them to be diligent in studying their Bibles, and becoming familiar with their contents, in order that the grand old Book may stand by them and talk with them when all earthly friends fail.

Let love be without hypocrisy.a Detest evil;b cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters.a Take the lead in honoring one another.b 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit;A, a serve the Lord.b 12 Rejoice in hope;a be patient in affliction;b be persistent in prayer.c 13 Share with the saints in their needs;a pursue hospitality.b 14 Bless those who persecute you;a bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice;a weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another.a Do not be proud;b instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.c 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.a Give careful thought to do what is honorableb in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.a 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,a, b says the Lord. 20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him.a If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.b, c 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

We must hear from God himself through diligent study of the Holy Scriptures

24 Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them. 25

You know what your great book is. Whether the Bible, Tanakh, Upanishads, Quran, Think and Grow Rich, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, or another, follow it diligently.

we do transforms us. The bible says that: we should give all diligence to make our calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never fall (2 Peter 1:10). From that portion of scripture, it’s evident that not all who are called and elected are able to sustain their calling. The dream that will take you to the top is like being given a chance to prove oneself. It’s compared

Whatever else you learn in life will be meaningless unless and until you discover that God exists and rewards those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

I should as soon expect a farmer to prosper in business who contented himself with sowing his fields and never looking at them till harvest, as expect a believer to attain much holiness, who was not diligent about his Bible reading, his prayers and the use of his Sundays. Our God is a God who works by means, and He will never bless the soul of that man who pretends to be so high and spiritual that he can get on without them.

The God of the Bible requires teachers who diligently study His Word and handle it accurately (compare 2 Timothy 2:15 and 1 Timothy 4:15-16).

I will never back away from declaring my belief that there are no spiritual gains without pains. I would as soon expect a farmer to prosper in business who was content with sowing his fields and never looking at them until harvest, as to expect a believer to attain much holiness who was not diligent about his Bible reading, prayer, and the use of his Sundays. Our God is a God who works by means, and He will never bless the soul of that person who pretends to be so superior

As Jesus said in the Parable of the Talents, God gives to each of us according to our ability (see Matt. 25:15). You have the power to increase your ability. You do not have to settle for what you have now. The Bible says that if you’re diligent with what you have, then God will give you more.

And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; 7and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8“And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9“And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The Bible is the textbook, and it is to be searched diligently—not as we would read a book among many books. It must be to us the book that meets the wants of the soul.

4Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,† But the ahand of the diligent makes rich.

Use the hammer of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised, and there is not a stony doctrine in revelation that is useful for you to understand that will not fly into shivers under the exercise of prayer and faith. You may force your way through anything with the leverage of prayer. Thoughts and reasoning are like the steel wedges that give a hold upon truth; but prayer is the lever that pries open the iron chest of sacred mystery, that we may get the treasure hidden inside.