Thinking & Doing – Doing & Thinking

Over the last 2 weeks we have been looking at God’s mandate for us to “Speak Up’ (Prov 31:8,9) for those who can’t speak for themselves. The Father heart of God is so overflowing with love and compassion for humankind that He can’t stand to see people in situations of poverty, injustice and oppression so He instructs us to act on His behalf. His direction to be active in addressing the plight of the poor and needy both promote, and require, the shaping of our actions and our attitudes.
In responding to the requirement of God to ‘do justice’ (Micah 6:8) we are clearly called to a place of activity beyond an offering or a prayer. We are called to the lifelong pursuit of promoting justice and eradicating injustice in our world in all its vile expressions. While our instant involvement towards this end can be prompted through simple obedience – God said it, so I will do it – our sustained involvement will require much more than dutiful obedience.
For us to be able to give our lives expressing the heart of the Father in this way will require that we maintain a growing personal revelation of our Heavenly Father’s heart towards us and humankind. It is only as we know how much we are loved and how valuable we are, and how loving our Father is, that we can properly reflect this to the world and speak to any issues that challenge this. So let me challenge all of us, that as we ‘Speak Up’ together and find our voice, and become active in these issues, that we not miss the proper heart and attitude amidst all the activity.
We may find within ourselves attitudes of apathy, complacency, condemnation or self-righteousness as we begin to consider the poor – I don’t care OR I really care and these must be dealt with. We are required to put off the attitudes of the world, and put on the attitudes of heaven, and this is done on the anvil of activity and with the fire of Holy Spirit.
One of the primary ways that God uses to shape our heart and attitude is through our activity so we mustn’t remain inactive towards these issues until we have the right heart and attitude. This will only result in a long wait for us and a lost cause for others. It is through our obedient response (activity) to Christ that we become more like Christ in our heart and attitude. So let me encourage to not only to “Speak Up” but to Step Out and actively address these issues. It is as we model our Father’s hand extended to the world that we will more clearly hear His heart of love beating for the world.