Blog #82 February 28, 2024
Proverbs 10:2-3
10:2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death.
10:3 The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
In God, all are His children that He loves. He strives to enlighten each and seeks to bless all that will open their hearts to Him. His wish is that all join Him in His labor by making covenant with Him through Jesus Christ, but this is just a beginning. If we are truly to be His children we must grow in our dedication to God and the ways of God, and learn to become a living testimony of God at work in our lives. We must manifest an aptitude for growth and develop an ability to apply that growth to the lives we live.
Romans 2:13
(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.)
Knowing the word of God, and living by its precepts will bring joy into our lives that will change everything about us. Others will see that joy and will wonder why it is there, where it came from, and how we got it. So, be ready.
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer with meekness and fear to every man that asketh of you a reason for the hope that is in you:
Eventually, they will ask, “How can I get it, too”? This is when our fellowship with God and the people of God becomes critically important. We can give them all the many words that tell of God in our lives. We can tell them of salvation, redemption, and the plethora of words that describe the love of God, and they may or may not accept them, but as a picture can replace a thousand words, the living testimony of God’s people can open the heart of the natural man and cause it to grow and change. The testimony of our lives tells the world of a Father we serve. It tells of willing obedience. It speaks to common understandings. It teaches of a life full of purpose with people who trust God, believe in His promises, and seek to be an active witness of His love today, tomorrow, and forever.
Moroni 7:5-10
7:5 For behold, God hath said, A man being evil, cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent, it profiteth him nothing.
7:6 For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.
7:7 For behold, if a man being evil, giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.
7:8 And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray, and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing; for God receiveth none such; wherefore a man being evil, cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
7:9 For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore a man being a servant of the devil, cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ, he cannot be a servant of the devil.
7:10 Wherefore, all things which are good, cometh of God; and that which is evil, cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
In God’s eyes, that which separates virtue from iniquity is the intent of the heart. To be His brethren we must reach out to Him intending to manifest by our actions the Kingdom of God and the ways of righteousness. Anything less is insufficient. It fails to give the world a testimony powerful enough to follow. It fails to nurture and sustain those who hunger for righteousness. Only a fullness of purpose can produce both words and deeds that serve God and His Kingdom.
3 Nephi 5:51-55
5:51 And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted;
5:52 And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
5:53 And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.
5:54 And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
5:55 And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
The blessings of God are promised to those who labor persistently, carefully, and with great joy. These qualities in a single word are known as diligence.
Proverbs 21:5
The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of everyone that is hasty only to want.
Diligence is an important aspect of our testimony of God to the world and it is wisdom that we learn the word and heed its meaning.
Hebrew: mishmar {mish-mawr’}
from 8104; a guard; or an example
8104 Hebrew: shamar
Pronunciation: {shaw-mar’}
A primitive root; properly, to hedge about i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.: –beward, be circumspect, take heed, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save
Diligence: Oxford English Dictionary.
- Conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation
- Persevering determination to perform a task “his diligence won him quick promotions”
As you can see from the Hebrew “mishmar” and its root word “shamar”, diligence is an attitude we bring to the labor of the Kingdom as well as an example or testimony we offer those whom we seek. Even in our tongue, the word does not vary in its meaning. The scriptures tell us that diligence is necessary if we are to possess and utilize the fullness of God’s wisdom.
1 Nephi 3:29-32
3:29 For he that diligently seeketh shall find;
3:30 And the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in this time as in times of old;
3:31 And as well in times of old as in times to come;
3:32 Wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
Diligence is very important, but it has to be more than just a discipline we add to our lives. History shows us that humanity is woefully inadequate when faced with obedience that requires our own personal discipline. Consider Eve and the discipline she applied to God’s warning about the fruit of the tree. Consider the Ten Commandments and the laws given by Moses. How successfully did God’s chosen discipline themselves to the ways of God? What in our temporal life can garner the needed dedication to God and the ways of God? Is it fear of retribution?
2 Peter 3:14
wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless;
DC 75:5b
Let every man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church, except he repents and mends his ways.
Could it be an effort to show God who we are and how much we are worth to Him? Do we hope our diligence will prove to God that we are humble stewards and worthy of great rewards in this life?
1 Nephi 1:53-54
1:53 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying, Blessed art thou Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
1:54 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.
Could it be that we are seeking nothing temporal but we seek instead God’s love and His recognition?
DC 6:9b
Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.
If it is not for ourselves perhaps, it is a sense of responsibility that will encourage us to be diligent. We have a job to perform and the world is a hard place. Our efforts might be the only thing standing between mankind and hell. Will that inspire diligence within us?
Moroni 9:6
And now my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.
Understand this bit of wisdom: God could perform all that deeds necessary to bring about His Kingdom here on earth, but he does not. He would prefer that we do it. Does that make God lazy? No, but it does given us a clearer understanding of just what it is that God seeks from His children. That we do the labor is important, but why we do it, is of equal importance to God.
Luke 15:8-9
15:8 Either, what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
15:9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.
In this passage, diligently describes the way she searched for the coin. What caused this attitude? Was it the value she placed on what was lost? Remember, the value she placed on the lost coin was so great that at finding it she called her friends and neighbors together for a celebration. The woman placed a value on this coin far above any temporal worth it could have. She valued it so much that the need to find it overshadowed any other labor in her world, and when she found it, she was filled to overflowing with joy. For us to labor with the proper amount of diligence necessary, we must value the Kingdom of God above anything we might receive in this life or the next. We must be fully prepared to live and work in that pursuit for the rest of our earthly days. We must love the labor, love the people we labor to save, and love the God we labor for; and yes, it is possible. We see it and experience it every day. We work hard for the money we make and we give our bosses a good day’s work for the money we receive. But think how hard we labor to get that rose bush to bloom. How sweaty are we when we finish mowing the yard and turn to appreciate it. How many hours do we involve in coaching our kid’s baseball team? We do all of these tasks for very little if anything beyond the sheer joy of doing them. This is what God wants. He wants us to be diligent in working for joy because He knows us. He knows we will work harder and more diligently on that which we enjoy doing.
But how do we do that?
Alma 10:27-28
10:27 And now my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety, even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance;
10:28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long suffering; having faith in the Lord;
We seek God, in the Spirit. We gain hope, in the Spirit. We overcome sin, in the Spirit. We receive love for God and all mankind, in the Spirit. Brothers and Sisters pray for the Spirit and then prepare yourselves for the changes it will bring to your life.
The key to diligence is making God’s purpose our own. In that act, diligence is no longer a discipline that allows us the wherewithal to complete an arduous task. Instead, it becomes a response to an overwhelming desire alive in our hearts.
Psalms 37:3-5
37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Diligence becomes joy. Labor becomes joy. Sacrifice becomes joy. Fellowshipping with God becomes as natural and as necessary as our next breath. We live to labor and labor to live. The Spirit ceases to be a taskmaster and becomes our teacher, mentor, and friend sharing in oneness the desires of our hearts.
Jacob 3:137-139
3:137 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them, Go to and labor in the vineyard, with your mights.
3:138 For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard: for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh;
3:139 And if ye labor with your mights with me, ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself, against the time which will soon come.
We seek God in the Spirit. We gain hope in the Spirit. We overcome sin in the Spirit. We receive the ability to love God and all mankind in the Spirit. Brothers and Sisters pray for diligence and then prepare to receive it. Prepare yourselves for the changes that God will bring to your nature. Know love like you have never known before. Know sorrow for those who have not been told and unbridled joy when they choose God as their life and their labor. Yes, be prepared for diligence that turns the intent of your heart into a roaring fire that consumes all your efforts.
Psalms 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
I am convinced that the diligence we need is found within the intent of our heart. If we truly want it God can and will help us get it.
How reassuring is that?
Fred