Due Diligence

I decided last night to read the New Testament again. A fellow that I was reading said he decided to read 1 John again and again, until he no longer got anything new from it. He read it for months, everyday, and found he always got something new from it, everytime. You see the Bible is a living text, it's the Word of God. Reading it just once isn't going to show you everything, nor twice, or three times. We need to immerse ourselves in it. So I started at the beginning of the New Testament with the book of Mathew. I only got 2 chapters in before something caught my eye.

Mathew 2:7-8 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
 
Akribos – circumspectly, diligently, perfectly

You see Herod knew that if the wise men were right, and the scriptures were right, then this person they were seeking was the Messiah. So he asked them many questions. He interrogated them for information. He looked for proof in what they were saying, comparing it to the Jewish scriptures. He was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, so he feigned to be a believer as well. He claimed he would come worship as well.

He told them to go search diligently. Not to go look around and come back, but to make sure they were right. He REALLY wanted to know who was the Christ. So he could get rid of Him. He wanted to get rid of the Christ now so that his throne would be safe. Think about that for a moment, let it set in.

A man who was not at all interested in worshiping God, diligently inquired about Him. He asked questions, he looked at the proof. He was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, simply based on the evidence presented before him. He was so convinced that he eventually murdered every child in that age range in the area he found out about.

Yet, we can't seem to be bothered to actually look for Jesus ourselves. We claim to be Christians, yet we don't diligently inquire about God. We have become hollow for the most part, going to a church once a week, and then going back into the world and acting as if God only exists in that building. Everything is present to God. Every action you do, he knows. Every thought you have, he knows! Your inner attitude is what he sees. Even if you are being a 'good' person, but doing it for the wrong reasons.. he knows! So it's our duty to be diligent! Diligently search for Him in the Scriptures. Jesus said that they testified to him! John 5:39

Study and show yourselves approved! Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Open up those bibles! Read the Word of God daily! See what he reveals to you as you read, and pray that He will open the windows of your mind and let light pour in.

In Christ,
Brian