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Greetings!
Welcome to the 5th Goals for Girls 2013! Wow we have come so far it seems... I hope you've been enjoying the last few devotionals! This month we are focusing on "Diligence"! I know what you're thinking... "Oh boy..." It's ok; I thought the same thing when I first saw what we were on this month! ;)
We are in verse 11 of Romans 12, it says:
"...not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" NKJ
But I also like the way the NLT says it: "Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically."
So here is what we will study: Diligence & serving the Lord. Let's begin opening in praise.
Read Psalms 130 (or choose your own Psalm)
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Diligence with Joy
 Before we get started I have to share with you about a person who is totally diligent; my mom. I am sorry, but I have to! ;) My mom has schooled, trained, loved, fed, and cared for 7 children for 20 years now. She has served her husband faithfully and lovingly through it all. My dad is very sick and cannot support himself. So my mother stepped in and supported her family of 9. All those years I saw her cheerful, and sad. Hurt, and overflowing with happiness. No she's not perfect. No, life wasn't a basket of roses for her; but she never gave up. She never stopped mentoring me or the other children just because she was upset. I know she couldn't have done it alone as a human being, she didn't. God was working in and through her all those years. He has blessed, He has taken away. All the years along the road He was there by my mom's side; guiding, training, and protecting her. She was/is diligent to her family, her calling and her Lord and Savior. I am so proud to call her my mother. Now to begin on the topic of diligence we will dissect the word with the old fashion style-which I thoroughly enjoy! In the Noah Webster Dictionary "Diligence" is described as so: Diligence- 1. Devoted and painstaking effort to accomplish what is undertaken; 2. It is the quality of being diligent; carefulness; careful attention; - the opposite of negligence. Hmmm "devoted and painstaking effort"...that doesn't sound very fun. Why is being diligent so important any way? Can't we just do the job, say it's done and call it a day? If only everything were that easy... Well I have a question for you, what if Jesus treated his calling (dying on the cross for the sins of all mankind) carelessly? "Just hurry it up and get it over with!" Somehow I get the feeling that we should treat our jobs/chores with as much effort and care as Jesus did when He took our sins to the cross and died for us. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 it says: "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Whether you're cleaning toilets, scrubbing dishes, raking leaves, wiping a runny nose, or doing the dishes for the thousandth time, do it for the glorification of Jesus. Your chores should be treated with as much care and responsibility as the role of President or CEO of a large cooperation, because it matters just as much if not more. Don't believe me? Just ask God! =) I know we all have our days, and no one is perfect. For goodness sakes I have moments every day when I sigh and complain in my heart! "When does the work end???" Let me tell you, it doesn't. And no amount of complaining or sighing, or shrugged shoulders will help. So why not make it a cheerful experience for you and those around you? I love these 2 quotes! "The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest." - Thomas Moore "Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks." - Charles Dickens |
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Conclusion
 So being happy and cheerful during our everyday work can make more of a difference than being upset about it can. A few verses that go along with his are: Let all that you do be done with love. - 1 Corinthians 16:14 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, Colossians 3:23 Being cheerful allows us to be more diligent in our duties, get the job done quicker and leaves us more satisfied than if we had done it grudgingly. "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." - Corrie ten Boom Just as worry does nothing for today or the next, neither does complaining nor irritability. So how are we to be diligent and serve the Lord enthusiastically? With cheerful and willing hearts! It will make the chores, duties, and responsibilities less monotonous and dreary. We will be godly and beautiful examples to our family and friends, and preserve our "youthful looks" according to Dickens! ;) |
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If you still have trouble (and you WILL have trouble) getting through your day joyously, ask God for guidance, ask Him to work and accomplish great things through you! He loves you; He wants you to lead a cheerful, diligent, enthusiastic life in Him.
"He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..."
Philippians 1:6
~Lisa
Young Keepers of the Home
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Mom was frustrated. There stood the kitchen, unfinished. Again. It appeared someone had done part of the job, leaving everything else strewn carelessly throughout the kitchen. Sure, the dishes were washed, but items still lay out on the unwiped counters, and don't even ask about the floor. It was my day to clean the kitchen and I still hadn't done it. Again. The familiar scene unfolded as Mom got mad at me and I came up with many "good" excuses as to why I hadn't done the kitchen. It seemed as though we ran through the same act each time. Deja vu. Here we go again.
Many times I would let Mom down when she was counting on me to finish the job to which I had been assigned in a timely manner. It wasn't that I didn't finish the kitchen; rather, I would leave the kitchen messy all day long when I was responsible for keeping it clean throughout the day. I knew that, so what was my problem? Was I lacking brains? Ability? No, my problem was neither of those. My problem was a classic case of negligence.
The Bible says that we, as Christians are to be "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (NKJV). The word used in this verse for "diligence" means more than simply finishing the job, or even finishing it thoroughly. It literally means "haste, earnestness, carefulness, diligence" or "earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything." When I am not in charge, it's often hard for me to be diligent in things, and earnest towards achieving the goal of finishing. I don't necessarily feel like finishing, but this remains fact: I should press forward and do it in earnest despite my feelings. Being earnestly diligent is a choice.
Another thing that is very important to notice is the second part of that verse: "serving the Lord." In all of our work, we're supposed to be serving the Lord. It is important to view this in perspective here. Though it may seem like I'm only serving humans, I'm not. You're not. He has placed us in these situations (and kitchens!) for reasons that we can't fully comprehend yet. By doing the work that has been set before us - cheerfully, diligently, and earnestly - we are serving the Lord.
The next time it's my turn to do the kitchen cleanup, and I just don't feel like doing it, I'll remember this verse. Maybe I'll even post it up in the kitchen on a note card just to remind me.
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From Sarah
Proverbs 6:9-11
How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
In my life one of the most obvious places where I can lack diligence is when I am waking up in the morning. It's so easy to tell myself that because I'm not going anywhere that day I don't need to wake up at a certain time. I need to constantly remind myself that there ARE things to be done every day. In addition to that, there are healthy sleep patterns to keep to. And another thing to remember is that when we slack at our work and go slowly, it discredits the name of Christ. Nobody likes a slacker.
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Worship to End With
Sing to the King
Who Am I?
Holy
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