The Alpha of Diligence

UV2984 /10000 The Alpha of Diligence
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4 v 23

The word “diligence” means to be careful and persistent. The uni-verse encourages us to keep our hearts with all diligence. We need to carefully examine our own hearts in the light of the Word to remove what is harmful or deceitful and to instil therein what is healthy and wholesome. The root or Alpha of all issues of life begin in the human heart. Our motives, our desires, our attitudes, our values, our goals- all have their root in the human heart. The Word acts as a plumb line to justify or straighten our inmost being. We can also ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the dark corners or aspects of our hearts so that we deal effectively to root it out.
We need to lay bare our hearts before the Lord in our prayers of confession. When we seek His help to overcome some issue that we have been struggling with all our lives, He will surely give us grace to resist, defeat, end these habitual tendencies. All crimes, all conflicts, all misery has its source in the human heart. If the battle is fought and won in the heart, then our lives, our relationships, our communication will improve in many ways. Meditating on scripture and the models in scripture especially the life and teachings of Jesus would have certainly a salutary effect on our hearts. We need to study diligently our patterns of speech, our patterns of interaction with others including our near and dear ones, our pattern of relationships with seniors, juniors and colleagues as well as strangers. Our diligent study should lead us to change for the better whatever the Spirit of God points out to us.
Desires and emotions are interlocked in the human heart. A desire that is illegitimate in the eyes of the Lord manifests in different forms of lust. Pride and anger or arrogance are also interrelated. Our disappointments, regrets and negative experiences in life often give rise to the root of bitterness in our hearts preventing us from being fruitful. We need to be diligent in adding to our faith, a Christ-like consistency of character and conduct, knowledge of the world and the word, patience and perseverance in facing difficulties, challenges and problems of life. It requires diligence to keep renewing our minds so that our thoughts, emotions, decisions and actions are in alignment with the will of the Lord as revealed in His word. Apart from a moral diligence, we also need to be diligent in our workplace so that we excel in whatever we are doing.