“And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.” (II Kings 7:3-4)“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)
Who likes telemarketers? I think I hear a resounding…..NOT ME! I have never met a person that likes receiving a call from a telemarketer. I admit, the first thing I think about when I realise that I have answered a phone call from a telemarketer is “how can I get off this call”. I admit, I have resorted to hanging up sometimes when it seems that the person isn’t going to stop for a breath and doesn’t seem to be listening to me. Why is it that they always call in the middle of dinner?
Given Australians dislike for telemarketers, it got me thinking. Why on earth do companies persist with such marketing methods. You would think that cold-calling people would have to be the most unproductive way of drumming up business. Yet it seems we still get these calls.
Companies use telemarketers because they know that if they sit around waiting for more business, they will more than likely not get it. They have to be aggressive!
You have to admire these Samaritan lepers. They realised that they were in a “lose-lose” situation. They realised that no one was going to offer them food in the midst of a famine, and if they were going to get rid of those hunger pains, they would have to take matters into their own hands. If they maintained the unchanging status quo, then they were going to get the same results that they had been getting—no food and ultimately death. They realised that they would have to be aggressive.
Why is it that minority groups in our society seem to have such “loud” voices? One word “aggressive”. They’ve got something to fight for – something that they believe in and it is worth fighting for. They will push against mainstream society in order to have their voice heard!
Think about the gay community. They have risen to prominence via a core group who zealously promoted its cause. Within the last 20 years, homosexuality has become acceptable by most media outlets. It’s being promoted in schools as a normal lifestyle and anyone with differing viewpoints may be taken to court. Even some churches are now accepting this lifestyle in their organisation – even why the Bible calls it an abomination (something God hates). These people are aggressive about what they believe.
God wants Christians to be aggressive about His kingdom, too. That’s why Jesus said that the violent take heaven by force (Matthew 11:12). A good paraphrase would be that those wanting to make it to heaven are going to have to shove their way past anything that gets in their way.
Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
Are we being aggressive about God daily, or are we satisfied with the status quo. Church attendance, occasional prayer, the odd Bible study. Has your walk with God become something you do with your spare time? Let’s get serious about this thing!
That's my five minutes!
