“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” – 2 Peter 3:14
Our pet gerbil is a fitness freak. He either jumps up and down along the outside of his metal exercise wheel, madly spinning the cylinder, or he jogs on the inside of it. I know this because his wheel makes a particularly squeaky noise as it rotates. I hear the squeak-squeak-squeak in the morning when I call down the stairs to my children. I can also hear the noise from the lower floor if I open the lid of the laundry chute. My children tell me that the gerbil especially loves to exercise at night, so I advise them to remove the offensive wheel before bedtime. In addition, anytime I happen into their bedroom during the daytime, when the little guy might possibly be catching forty winks, he immediately comes out of his stupor and goes to work on that screechy wheel. He is definitely diligent. As a result, he is as fit as a fiddle and ready for action!
He makes me feel a little guilty, for I am not all that diligent about my fitness. The word diligent means “to be conscientious, industrious, and meticulous.” These are all qualities that are wise to cultivate. Being diligent in eternal matters is even more important than being diligent about physical exercise. While I certainly do not claim to have this all figured out, there are a couple of aspects of spiritual diligence to consider in relation to our inner man, and in relation to our purpose and privileges in the work of the Lord.
Maintaining the health of the inner man requires diligence and vigilance. We all recognize that reading the Bible and praying is necessary for spiritual health. In addition, the Bible encourages us to worship together with God’s people. Doing these things require diligence. A less obvious facet may involve a check-up of our attitudes about the areas of the Lord’s work that we are involved in, or the people we work with. Maintaining proper attitudes requires vigilance.
At church, we might be decorating bulletin boards, serving for a function, cleaning the church, or driving a Sunday school van. Whatever our calling, let us wholeheartedly apply ourselves to the best of our ability. After all, this is for the Lord!
Our goal is to be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. So dive in and do your best!