I am reading in 1 Nephi 16 today and it is talking about the liahona and how it worked. Nephi says that it worked according to their faith and diligence. I know what faith is, but I started thinking about what diligence has to do with faith. The definition of diligence is: careful and persistent work or effort. I think it is another way of saying faith without works is dead.
After Nephi talks about the liahona, he gives us an example of how it works. They were trying to find food and they were all at a point when they were very hungry. Their bows were broken or lost their spring. With hunger looming, many started complaining. Nephi, on the other hand, diligently worked to find a solution. Instead of using what little energy he had complaining, he used it to make another bow and then asked his father where to go look for food. This is a great example of faith and diligence. He had faith that Heavenly Father would take care of them, but he did his part to fix the situation. He didn't expect Heavenly Father to do for him what he could do himself. He did what he could do, and then he relied on God. This is a perfect example of what faith and diligence is all about. Nephi showed plenty of examples of this throughout his life. In fact, the motto of his life could be faith and diligence.
Here is a wonderful article on faith and diligence by Elder Gene R. Cook.
