Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; (Romans 12:11)
And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) (Acts 12:3)
For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous. (Proverbs 3:32)
We need to be active in forwarding God's interests on this earth. The king saw the positive reaction of the people around him when he killed James, and he looked for another Christian leader to kill because it made him popular. It was not all the Jewish people that rejoiced at the judicial murder of a pastor, it was a much smaller group; those Jews who were visible to Herod, the ones who worked in his palace, in the public buildings, the marketplace or in the temple. It may even have included beggars, who frequent these very public places. Did Herod know what the farmers or tanners thought? I think not, and it didn't really matter to him. I think we have forgotten the power of being visibly active to sway the tide of public opinion.
In addition, God gives secrets to the righteous that allow them to succeed beyond what they should be capable of, in order to achieve His goals. I want to stress that God's interests are not unlimited to encompass anything His followers may want, especially where they are manipulated by secular activists; God's will is for His children to believe in Jesus and be saved.
Get involved in what you want to influence. God has special advice to make His followers effective in pursuing His interests.
No comments:
Post a Comment