THE PROACTIVE NATURE OF GOD
2008-07-10

The revelations from the past two days still have me spiritually reeling. I'll be meditating on this while I continue on in the devotional book. I've had several really good and deep conversations with my friend at work over these things. I am seeking God to know what things I need to do in order to be obedient.


Psalm for today: Psalm 45

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Verses 6-7a



Day 195

Zechariah 2:1-5,10-13

I almost hate to leave Haggai, after the last two days. But here we go, moving on.

We see in verse 10 a prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus.

Shout and celebrate, Daughter of Zion! I'm on my way, I'm moving into your neighborhood!

Ok, it's not so much about the actual birth as it is just simply about the fact that God is about to invade earth. He is moving in. Jesus is coming to live on earth.

God wants relationship with us so much that he moved into our neighborhood.

Verse 13: Quiet, everyone! Shh! Silence before God. Something's afoot in his holy house. He's on the move!

God is active in human history. The preceding two verses have just indicated that Gentiles would be welcomed into the Kingdom! That God would actually live in the homes of "godless nations."

God is certainly on the move.

Our Sunday School class just finished the study, "Experiencing God." While it is not my favorite study, there is a basic principle that is given at the very beginning that I agree with. God is at work. We need to find out what he's doing and join him and work with him. This is the opposite of the way most churches work. Most churches sit around and brainstorm for ideas about what they can do to get people to come to church. Then they come up with these elaborate entertainment schemes and expect God to bless them. So when they wind up with thousands of members who couldn't tell a Bible from the Communist Manifesto, they believe that God has blessed their efforts and they are successful. But are they really? Who is more successful? A church with 75 members who truly worship God, give to the poor, help each other and understand what the Bible is about, or a church with 5000 members who are generally gathering for entertainment?

Ok, I'll get off that soapbox now.

Point is, we need to see what God is doing and get with him, rather than make up our own plans and expect him to join us.

But God is active in our history, and in our present. This goes against popular philosophy which says that God either just doesn't exist, or that he doesn't care what's happening "down here." He most definitely does care. Those of us who love him know this to be true.

And this shows us something of his character. That he is loving and compassionate towards his children. He is even loving and compassionate towards those who reject him. At least for a while. After all, "the rain falls on the just and the unjust." God doesn't just send rain on people who follow him. And earthquakes don't just strike the homes of unbelievers. There will come a day, though, when God's compassion will reach its end, and justice will prevail. And since he is the Maker, anything that he chooses to do is just.

How do I respond to this type of God? I serve him. I worship him in awe of his mighty power and the fact that he chose me to be one of his. There was nothing that I did to make me worthy of this choice. It was simply his good pleasure and I have benefited from that. And for that, I throw myself at his feet in joyful celebration!



Father, I have gone through a variety of topics today, and some differing emotions. Let me be aware of your work around me. Let me always be on the lookout for your activity. You have "moved into my neighborhood." You are living in my house. And you inhabit the corporate "temple" that is the Body of Christ, which is what you are directing my attention to strongly this week. This still goes along with your directives to care for the body. I continue to ask you to please help that be central in my mind and heart. And help those of us who minister at the little piece of your "house" where we worship to make it a place where people truly love you and worship you and care for each other.


As we travel around our neighborhoods in the next few days, let's ponder the implications of God moving into our neighborhoods. What if he lived next door to us?

And be thankful, oh so very thankful, that he pursues you!

Heh. I just noticed the title of today's devotion. I never really addressed that in the entry. I'm not sure I understand what it means in the context of the entry today. And I really, really hate that word, "proactive." So there. Pft.

Grace and peace, friends!



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