Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. — 2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB)
To be diligent is to “have or show care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.” Its synonyms help paint the picture: industrious, hard-working, assiduous, conscientious, particular, punctilious, meticulous, painstaking, rigorous, careful, thorough, sedulous, earnest.
A diligent person is not one to be trifled with. She’s steady, secure. She keeps running while the rabbit takes a nap. She punches when she needs to punch. She has ideas. More than that, she has action. She doesn’t let things slide. She goes after things, pursues them with all her might.
She doesn’t do that because she hopes to win glory and prestige. Some part of her desires that, of course, but she removes the obstacle as best she can. She remembers why she is diligent. She turns to the internal compass that tells her “this is the way; walk in it.”
She does. She gets up early and “works with her hands in delight.” She works as toward Another. She seeks to be diligent, to present herself to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed. She entrusts herself and the work of her hands to the One who gives them permanence.
Image: Michele Barp (Creative Commons)