Practice Makes Perfect - Diligence

Practice Makes Perfect - Diligence

If you want to have a true knowledge of God, you have to have this one simple thing: faith. In the Bible, having faith and believing are the same thing. Here is how the Bible puts it:

Hebrews 11:6

“...he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

In the first chapter of his small book in the New Testament, Peter begins to lay out a series of steps that every person of faith needs to follow to make their faith work. The first step to living a meaningful, godly life is found in the word “diligence.”

2 Peter 1:5

“Now for this very reason also, apply all diligence, in your faith...”

What is Peter saying? What does he mean when he says to apply diligence to our faith? Diligence means to give a lot of care to something. What Peter is saying is that faith is important so you can’t just take it for granted. You can’t neglect faith. You have to work at keeping it strong. If faith is neglected it diminishes.

Have you ever seen someone who buys the brand new car of their dreams? You know what happens, right? They are outside with it all the time - washing it, waxing it, working on it, pampering it. They are being diligent.

This is how we should treat our faith. Faith needs to be cared for. Faith should always be growing, always being stretched and challenged, always being fed the Word, always being supported by prayer and worship.

When our faith is constantly exercised it grows stronger to the point that it can actually change the world around us. That is what Peter is getting at. Faith, when put into practice, is how we find meaning and purpose in our lives.

James 1:2-4

“...the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”