Active or Passive?

Those of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their servants and livestock into the houses, but those who did not take the word of the Lord seriously left their servants and their cattle in the field. (Ex. 9:20-21)

God's Word is meant to spark action.

We should certainly study Scripture. Praying it back to God is great, discussing it with others is helpful, and grasping its nuances can be rewarding.

But Scripture is God's Word, and from the first words God spoke to man, He intended His words to be acted upon. This passage in Exodus jumped out at me - those who feared God's Word took action; those who did not take it seriously did nothing. It remained for them a theory, a novelty.

The principle that I drew from this underscored the truth God has been teaching me for about 6 months now -- God doesn't want me to be passive. Certainly He doesn't want me to rely on my own strength, and there is a place for "being" rather than "doing". But "Be still and know that I am God" doesn't mean to do nothing -- it means to rest in Him. Resting, as Hebrews 4 says, from my works -- not from His words!

I get frustrated at passive Christianity - my own included. I hate that sometimes I know what's right and don't do it - Paul calls that sin. I hate that sometimes I grasp something theologically long before I apply it practically. I hate that it's so easy for me to tell someone "I'll pray for you" (maybe remembering to do so, maybe not) and so hard to say "Let me take this part of your burden" and then put myself out for them sacrificially. I hate that I have been guilty of brushing away horrific sins in the world with the rationalization that "this is a fallen world; what can we expect" -- as if God had forbidden me from speaking out or trying to change anything.

I am challenged by active Christians - like William Wilberforce, who refused to be passive in the face of slavery's horrors. Like William Carey, who refused to sit down when ordered to do so by an elder who insisted God's method of saving the "heathen" didn't require human action. Like Hudson Taylor, who was willing to risk scorn to blaze a new path for kingdom workers, a path that was radically different and yet thoroughly biblical.

I don't expect to solve every problem. But I am increasingly committed to actively manifesting the lessons God teaches me through His Word. This commitment doesn't lead me to pray less - quite the opposite. For I am learning that if I take God's Word seriously, I will live my life in a war zone - and the battle starts on my knees.

I've known that for a while. What is new lately is that God is teaching me that it doesn't end there.

"God's Word is alive and active in me." -Beth Moore