Diligence Guarantees Reward

But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

The above scripture emphasizes the importance of diligently seeking after God first and not other things because he must be the foundation of everything we pursue. Proverbs 3 says that we are to acknowledge him in all of our ways and he will direct our path. Why is the order of these priorities critical? because God will never reward a person with anything that is put ahead of him because he is a jealous God who will not have any other gods before him. A god can be money, a career, family, or anything that a person can love more than they love God. So God says to love him with all of our heart, soul mind and strength and Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to the seeker.

Diligently seeking God is reading and hearing the Bible his word because that is how faith comes according to Romans 10:17. This scripture declares that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Hebrews 11:6 begins with "but without faith" or without meditating the word and putting it first place it is impossible to please God. Continuing in the word of God brings one into discipleship because Jesus said if you continue in my word then are you my disciples indeed. Peter found this to be true when in Luke 5 Jesus asked him to launch out into the deep and to cast out his nets for a draught after he had a long night of toiling and catching nothing.

Even though a part of himself did not want to obey he said nevertheless at thy word I will throw out the net. His diligence toward seeking the words of Jesus through hearing and obeying brought him a great reward. Two boats were filled with fish that he could not catch on his own through his skill and knowledge because of diligently seeking the Lord. Again diligence is constant careful effort and constant careful effort should be applied in reading and studying God's word if the reward is going to be experienced. Joshua 1:8 says and this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shall meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shall make thy way prosperous and then thou shall have good success. God says don't stop speaking, meditating, and obeying the word of God which is simply diligence, and the reward will be good success!

When we talk about seeking God's word we are also referring to seeking God's way because his word is his way. We must remember that God's thoughts are not mans thoughts and his ways are not mans ways (Isaiah 55:8) but as a person becomes diligent in knowing the ways of God through study of his word the mind becomes transformed (Romans 12:2) to think like God and to begin to do what Jesus would do in the circumstances of life because now one begins to put on the mind of Christ as scripture declares in Philippians 2:5a which reads Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Refusal to seek God's way through his word for one's life will position one to seek their own way because the bible says that there is a way that seems right unto a man but the end thereof is the way of death. Without the bible being final authority on an issue everyone has their own opinion and everyone feels their opinion is the right one about an issue. To continue down this road will lead to disappointment and frustration. To diligently go one's own way is constant effort but not careful effort.

God's word is his will:

Diligently seeking God's word is also seeking his will for one's life. The will of God is not always easy but it will always bring reward in the end. Jesus was the expressed image of the Father and in the garden of Gethsemane he cried if thou be willing let this cup (suffering on cross) pass from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done.

• This diligence of heart toward the will of God immediately rewarded strength to Jesus from an angel that came and strengthened him in his most vulnerable hour.
• The diligence of the woman with the issue of blood toward Jesus rewarded her with her healing
• The diligence of the Syrophoenician woman toward Jesus rewarded healing for her daughter
• The diligence of the Apostle Paul pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God rewarded him with such (Phil.3)