Mary was a normal teenager or young adult who had her dreams and aspirations with her whole life ahead of her. But her life was altered from the spirit realm so that God’s purpose would be fulfilled on earth for the benefit of all mankind.

In Job‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭12, Job lost his family, his health and all his wealth in a very short space of time. If Job was living in today’s world, all his misfortunes would have been attributed to terrorists, armed bandits, building collapse, stock market crash, cancer etc. But what was really behind Job’s misfortunes?

This world we live in is not only made up of the natural realm that we can see, touch, taste, feel and smell but there is another realm which is the spiritual realm. The natural and the spiritual realm interact with one another and influence each other on a daily basis and we need to understand how the two work together and how their interactions affect our lives.

Jesus was an extremely diligent person and there was no lazy bone in him. If we study the routine of Jesus, we’ll see that he had an extremely tight schedule.

Jesus was up from very early in the morning and he would work all through the day and into the night. Yet he managed to make time for everything and everyone that was important to him and above all, he fulfilled his assignment and did the will of his Heavenly Father.

What excuse do we have for not living a life of diligence?

Job 36‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.”

‭‭

The bible encourages us as God’s children to be diligent in our service to God. So what does diligent service look like? Let’s take a look at the life of Paul.

Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“You must diligently obey the commands of the Lord your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you.”

Diligently obeying God comes with a lot of benefits but on the flip side, not diligently obeying God has consequences. So what lessons can we learn from Moses about diligence in obeying God?

Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬ ‭AMP‬‬

“Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left [the house], and went out to a secluded place, and was praying there.”

Jesus diligently prayed, not only early in the morning or late in the evening, but he prayed all the time, every opportunity he got! Prayer for Jesus wasn’t mechanical or done out of duty but his diligence was borne out of an urgent, fervent desire to be in constant fellowship and communion with his Heavenly Father.

Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭MSG‬‬

“Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.

The word “diligence” where prayer is concerned means consistency, persistence, commitment, devotion, alertness, focus, urgency, fervency etc.

So what lessons can we learn from the widow who diligently petitioned the judge in the parable Jesus taught in Luke 18: 1-8?

Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭4‬ ‭EASY‬‬

“Cornelius looked at the angel and he was afraid. He asked, ‘Master, why have you come to me?’ The angel answered, ‘God has heard your prayers. He knows about all the money that you give to poor people. This has pleased him. Now God is answering your prayers.”

‭‭

Cornelius was a Roman military officer, so he was a gentile, he wasn’t a Jew, yet he was able to catch God’s attention! How did he achieve this and what lessons can we learn from Cornelius?

Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ says

“I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.”

To find God we require diligence which means that if we seek God any other way, we can never find Him. Many Christians are seeking God but very few are seeking God diligently. So what does it mean to seek God diligently? We can learn some lessons from David who is identified as a man after God’s heart.