Friday, December 06, 2019

God’s Activity

On this Friday morning, I just received and read the newsletter from Lucedale-First Baptist.  Dr. Eddie Davidson’s column centered around Matthew 2 and the story of the Wise Men.  He speaks of how the Wise Men were “Drawn” to the point of being “Compelled” by a sense of “Oughtness.’  I have never heard that term, but believe it to be a great term in the work of the Lord.  He makes the point that these Wise Men came to Jerusalem based on the activity of God in their lives.

Pondering this thought while reading his column, thinking about the modern-day, Americanized Baptist (that would be me) Church, I attempted to consider the question of “God’s activity among us.”  We spend time in small groups be they called Sunday School, Life Groups, or whatever we choose to call them.  We spend time in large groups which we call “Worship Services”.  We have other times of Bible study.  The question for me is this; “With all our study, meetings, and knowledge, how long has it been since we have seen, witnessed, or been compelled by a ‘sense of oughtness’ by the activity of God?”  It is readily apparent when a question is asked that no one wants ask or even think needs to be ask, there will be push-back.  I dare say this is such a question. 

However, one statement my friend made in this column is THE STATEMENT which needs to be pressed into and contemplated.  The scripture says that the Wise Men came to Jerusalem, spoke to Herod who, in turn spoke to HIS ‘advisors.’  Here is the nugget to consider.  Bro. Eddie writes, “His advisors were experts in the Word of God but blind to the Activity of God.  They saw nothing, they sought nothing, and they found nothing.”  This reminds me of the words to the chorus of an old song, “They were playing games at the foot of the cross.  So close to the struggle, yet so far from the cost.  Never feeling the shame and never sensing the loss.”  To be experts in the Word of God and blind to the activity of God is like the Pharisee who were so focused on the law that they missed the “Lord of the Law” when He passed by.

More than anything else, we need to rediscover the activity of God in, on, and through our lives in the person, presence, and power of the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus.  He is still the answer.

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