Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Diligence


The next Christlike attribute that we studied this last week was diligence.

Basically when I think about living the gospel and keeping the commandments, I think of diligence. But when I think about all that we need to be diligent about, I can easily get overwhelmed. I read a talk by Elder Merrill J. Bateman Of the Presidency of the Seventy which both inspired and comforted me in this effort of diligence. He said, "In the Lord’s plan, diligent effort involves both the heart and the mind. Diligently seeking truth and living gospel principles with all one’s mind and heart open the door for the Holy Spirit to transform us."

I love that he reminds us to use both our heart and mind. For as long as I can remember, my favorite scripture has been Mosiah 7:19. "Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ." As we obey the commandments and search diligently in the light of Christ by studying it out in our minds, it will then be confirmed in your heart. As we do this, with all diligence we can be led to spiritual rebirth, which is our ultimate goal. But just as this is our ultimate goal, it obviously does not happen all at once, it requires a diligent effort our whole life through.

Just as I said before that diligence can get overwhelming when thought about in the context of everything we need to do, it is comforting to know as Elder Bates said, "The principle is “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little”. Also, the command to serve God “with all your heart, might, mind and strength” should leave one exhausted at the end of life, not midway through the journey. The Lord expects us to pace ourselves, to “run and not be weary, and … walk and not faint” To serve with all one’s heart is to serve with full purpose of heart. The concern is with direction, not speed. The process allows for repentance. What counts is one’s desire and determination, not an extraordinary burst of energy. Although the Lord expects us to do our best, He is looking for steady candle power on a hill and not bright flashes in the sky that briefly illuminate but then fade."

Diligence is obviously a life long pursuit, It is something that needs to be consistently inspected and improved on.

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