Diligence: Eagerness; excited fervor to do something or accomplish some end; zeal; haste, speed, dispatch, care, carefulness, business

2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

Examples in the New Testament from the same Greek word for diligence:

·       After the angel revealed to the virgin Mary that she was pregnant, she hurried to the house of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the future parents of John the Baptist.

·       Herodias hated John the Baptist. Her daughter went with haste to the king to ask the head of John the Baptist.

·       Paul desired Timothy to come with haste to Rome.

From our examples we see that fervor and speed were present. Once we are saved we should have such a love for God that we want to have a strong living faith. We desire to add to our faith.

We must avoid …

·       Procrastination

·       Laziness

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

·       Diligence is a necessity if we are to add anything to our faith. Our life will bear little fruit. There will be no steadiness or durability to our Christian life. We will often be in a state of need. We will have nothing to give to others. There will be little of no fruit.

·       By being diligent to add to our faith, we complete the gifts and graces God has already given us. Diligence makes faith work. It makes our faith fruitful.

·       By being diligent, God sees that what is important to God is important to us. We are not taking His gifts for granted.

·       By being diligent, we can see God truly working through us.

·       By being diligent, others see God working in us. We are a testimony to the life of Christ.

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 all 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.

Peter gives us a promise in 2 Peter 1:10: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: - We need never to go back to our old lifestyles. We should be heading down a road of constant growth and maturity in Christ. Let’s add to our faith!