DILIGENCE means PREPARATION

(Sorry. This is more an introduction to the next Bible Study than an actual Bible Study, but I thought it must be said.) You've heard the phrase 'READY, WILLING AND ABLE' ? Right? And, especially, when we look at the Magi for an example, this is true. For, in the archives of the past, we come upon few that were more ABLE, more WILLING and more READY that the wise men who visited the Christ child. Now, once again, you can dismiss them as pagan and lost and completely vacant of any value to study or ponder. BUT they were called of God for this specific time and place. And, I'll argue, that they were made able to be in a position to be willing and ready to carry out God's plan. READY! When the New Testament talks of God's POWER, the word, dunamis, is translated ability or that God is ABLE to do whatever it is he undertakes. The one thing we can say of these men we call wise is that they were prepared. Let me be clear. For these men, the practice of watching the stars and knowing the signs, was not a hobby. It wasn't a part-time distraction. THIS WAS THEIR LIFE! The Magi were separated from all others for the express intent of living a life of spiritual discerning. When one began life as a Magi, it was a life time of spiritual sojourning; a life of searching the stars and watching for the signs. They were spiritual men. Now, to be honest, for the most part, the Magi were off any path that led to God. But, remember, these priest's of Zoroaster had crossed ways with God's chosen hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. During the disporia of the Jews into Babylon, great men of God like Daniel stood shoulder to shoulder with these pagan priests. And Daniel alone had a profound effect on the pagan nation and its king. So, there was a period of influence and the two religions (those that followed the God of Israel and those that practiced the monotheism of Zoroaster) had a time of intermingling and sharing of ideas. The influence is there, I believe. And, as with any religious endeavor taken upon by man, there is never one clear vision. Israel had moments of a blurring of the vision God had given their forefather, Abraham. And the Magi, as a whole, followed many splintered strains (more about that down the road). SO, although these were men led by the stars, they had a spiritual influence from the almighty God. In fact, the Magian faith, Zoroastrianism, had their own strain of belief that included a Messiah of sorts. “A man who is better than a good man” who brings about the renovation of the World. Sound familiar? So, were they pagans? Maybe. Were they idol worshipers? Possibly. Were they astrologers? To some extent. Were they called to God? Yes. Whether they knew it or not, they were called for such a task as revealing the Messiah to the world. What actually happened is the stuff of legend the truth of which Matthew chronicled. But, back to the point. They were PREPARED to see the star. They were PREPARED to know what it meant. They were PREPARED to become a part of God's story. They dedicated their lives to knowing and seeing and being ABLE to move when the signs or God so willed it. One could dare say that God had been grooming these men long before they were born though. Using the people of God to influence them just as the Babylonians expected to absorb them and make Israel like them and totally disappear as a people. God used prophets like Daniel to show them the one true God and his power. No, these men were ABLE to recognize, understand and follow the sign God gave them. Are WE? WE think just being saved aka adopted by the Most High God is enough to prepare us to know the signs of the coming future. Many of us never crack open the Bible to prepare our minds for God's truth. And, what's worst, a great many of us never take a knee and ask God to prepare us to understand everything we read or see. The Magi were prepared through much of their lives to recognize the sign of the star. They labored day and night to discern the signs of the times. They understood the moral climate and the political structures of their time. These men alone were PREPARED for the task at hand. What does it mean to be READY as a child of God? For the BIBLICAL answer, check out the next Bible study!