I Thought I Had Learned That Already

Today’s devo is from another valuable lesson I learned in the last week or so. I guess there’s just so many lessons in life that find the need to be repeated in life. This has been one of them for me. I thought maybe it would help you today.

Aloha,
allen

Thoughts
While I was in college I had a very real encounter with the power of stereotypes and stigmas. After picking up the paper and reading of a mother whose baby had been bitten by a rat during the night, I was infuriated. Without knowing the individual’s financial struggles or physical and socio-economic restrictions, I foolishly categorized her in the worst of parental categories and decency of life.

It wasn’t until I was assigned Jonathan Kazol’s book Amazing Grace, that I began to understand the dynamics of life that I had been sheltered from. People really do go hungry. They really do want to work and will work, but can’t find jobs. These were realities I had not fully considered when it came to the newspaper article.

That was 10 years ago. Recently, I have encountered someone that has challenged my thinking again. Let’s just say that their punctuality wasn’t the greatest and the integrity to their word, as far as timeliness, has been broken on several occasions. In my mind I had written them off from any future dealings.

However, as they completed their project, information surfaced that made me feel like an inconsiderate idiot. The horror of their physical and verbal abuse began to surface. The nights they had spent on the run for their own safety. The fear they had that they would be found. I melted. I had written an entire list of preconceived ideas without ever pausing to consider the external issues the individual was facing.

In Matthew 7 Jesus instructs us to be careful about establishing judgments about someone else. The Amplified version translates it like this:

        DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you. (Matt. 7:1-2)

It was a lesson I have heard, preached, and learned (so I thought). But it was one that I had forgotten to practice. Even though you may have learned it too, don’t forget to practice it today.

Application
Have you ever learned a lesson that you forgot to practice?

When have you past a critical judgment on someone without knowing their entire situation?

Is there someone in your life that perhaps you need to get to know more so that you can better understand their story?

Prayer
Father,

Thank You for Your grace and forgiveness. How foolish I have been to pass judgment on someone that I knew nothing about. I thought I had learned my lesson before, but You have shown me just how far I have to go. Please continue to refine me through these valuable lessons. Along the way, I ask for Your grace and mercy so that others are not hurt by my foolishness.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Regard Relationships and Responsibility

Here’s the second devo in the Before You Go Home series. I pray you are checked by it and recognize your role in the bigger picture.

Though Christianity is not about you, it contains you! Therefore, regard your relationships and responsibility.

Aloha,
allen

Thoughts
Perhaps, you have heard the stir in the media in the last few days concerning Tiger Woods’ auto accident. His otherwise clean record has been the topic of quite a few mud throwing contests. (And to be clear, this is not another one!) While his wife Elin was probably not the club-swinging spouse they’ve created her to be, some of the underlying stories might be truer than we once believed.

In Tiger’s public apology this morning, one of sport’s greatest poster children referenced his ‘transgressions’ and repeatedly requested privacy. Anyone who has ever made a mistake understands what a respectable and noble request Tiger is presenting. Unfortunately, what none of us can ignore, including Tiger, is that it is just not that easy. Our lives, whether on an international level or familial level, are lived in relationships with other people and those relationships present responsibility.

John Mark had to learn a similar lesson. When he chose to desert Paul and Barnabas on the missionary trail, he wasn’t making an independent decision. He was making a choice that would affect his relationships, mission, and community.

Paul is very clear about the unity that must exist among the body of Christ. In Ephesians 4 he writes extensively about striving for unity in the body of Christ. As individual members within the body, we must regard relationships and responsibility. Our choice to return to a former lifestyle, addiction, or a physical place for the sake of ourselves is detrimental to the body of Christ.

With all due respect, Tiger is not going to receive ultimate privacy just because he made some bad choices. His choices have impacted families, fans, and financial sponsorships. There’s no quick return to anonymity because it’s uncomfortable. It is relationships and responsibility. Before you choose to go home, make sure you regard them; Your life is not independent of them.

Application
How should the media and his fans handle Tiger Woods’ circumstances? (Ignore it, Explore it, Acknowledge it, etc.)

How do our individual actions impact our relationships and responsibilities in the Body of Christ?

Has there been a time when you chose to go home and the Kingdom suffered for it?

Prayer
Father,

I pray first for Tiger and his family. We all know the devastation that our actions can cause. Uplift his family and use this time to draw him closer to you. Second, help me to realize just how important I am to the body of Christ. My actions and decisions are crucial to the Kingdom. When temptation assails me, keep me steady on You. May I not rush to what is comfortable and easy. Rather, keep me connected and committed to You mission.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It’s Worth Living For

I pray that your Thanksgiving holiday and weekend went well. I realize it’s a busy time for us all. Family and friends are great, but it sure gets to be exhausting.

This week we will be recapping Sunday’s message Before You Go Home. Taken from Acts 13:13, we’ll focus on the temptations we face to go home. Whether it is the change of the weather, the time of the year, or just a difficult situation, there are times when we just want to go home. Young Mark bailed on his missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas to go home. Be it a return to addictions or to a comfortable lifestyle, we all face the temptation to give up on our mission and go where things are familiar, safe and comfortable.

Before You Go Home there are some things you should consider…

Aloha,
allen

Thoughts
The following ad once appeared in a London newspaper: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful.”

The ad was signed by Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer.

Amazingly, the ad drew thousands of respondents, eager to sacrifice everything for the prospect of meaningful adventure.

[Today In The Word, August, 1989, p. 33.]

The mission that Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark were on was the greatest mission in history. Set apart by the Holy Spirit they were engaging heathen nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite opposition and opinions, the trio were seeing people come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Nevertheless, for reasons unknown, Mark chose to abort his mission and return home. Some have suggested that the journey was too demanding for him. Others think that a transition in leadership focus from Barnabas (John Mark’s cousin) to Paul was the reason. Whatever the reason, Paul felt that Mark deserted them (Ac. 15:38) and found it difficult to allow him back on the team a couple of years later.

Mark’s aborted mission challenges us to consider our mission and its significance. If your mission isn’t worth persevering THROUGH, you do not have a mission worth living FOR. I am sure the suffering, resistance, and persecution that Paul and Barnabas endured made it challenging at times. Yet, they found their high calling (Phil. 3:12-14) to be worth their suffering.

Like Mark, there will be times in life when major pulls will be made to just go home. Whether it is leadership changes or just the cuddly comforts of the familiar, we all face the temptation to abandon responsibility and maturity and return home. We often forfeit spiritual growth, marriages, financial responsibility, etc. for addictions, strongholds, mediocrity, and comfort. In such cases, perhaps we are living with the wrong mission in mind. If your marriage is centered on your comfort rather than God’s character, it will always be easier to abort your mission. If your financial structure is based upon your desires rather than Godly stewardship, there will always be reasons to go home. However, if you’re living for the mission of Christ, it’s worth persevering through!

Application
What missions have you found worth persevering through? (weight loss, parenting, etc.)

When are you most likely to abort your mission and go home? (difficulties, change of seasons, etc.)

What mission are you living for today? Is it worth persevering through?

Prayer
Father,

May we all received and accept the divine calling that Paul and Barnabas engaged in. They found the trials and temptations worthy of their persistence and resistance. They stayed the mission rather than going home. They didn’t desert the Gospel for addictions or comforts. They disciplined themselves and completed their mission. May I have that same persistence in my faith. May You become my mission!

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Identity, Labels, and Purpose

As I sat to write this morning’s devo, one paragraph morphed into an entirely different thought pattern. It is my hopes that today’s devo will better explain what I sought to share on Sunday. However, you will have to pay close attention to my line of thought to grasp the essence of what I find in Acts 11:19-26. Prayerfully take your time through today’s devo. It’s challenging and changing.

Aloha,
Allen

Thoughts
For a period in middle/high school I was desperate for a nickname. I longed for identity and wanted a nickname that made me unique and/or special. Clearly, it was my struggle to find my purpose and place in a big world. Unfortunately, I fear the struggle was/is not limited to me. And, an even greater fear is that it doesn’t always end after high school.

Throughout life we seek labels, categories, hobbies, sports, and possessions to define our purpose and identity. Many have adopted the label ‘Christian‘ because it gives them a category in which to identify themselves. However, categories, nicknames, and labels do not give us our identity. While they may stem from our identity, it is our identity that gives us our purpose and our purpose warrants labels.

When the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch, it was not because they went to Antioch to find themselves or that they desired a nickname for themselves. The disciples went to Antioch with an identity and they were committed to being who they were. They had been radically transformed by Christ and were empowered witnesses of the things they had seen and heard concerning Him. In the end, they were labeled because of their identity and not because they were in search of their identity.

Each week churches are filled with people seeking purpose for their lives. In the process, they adopt a nickname, Christian, in hopes that their new label will give them their identity. Thus, we have created a culture of referring to ourselves by a label, namely Christian, in hopes that we will find our identity. While there’s nothing wrong with the label Christian, it does not give us our identity nor does it impart into us our purpose.

In Antioch, known as the second wickedest city of its day, the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Thankfully they were not waiting for a title to give them their identity or purpose. Rather, they knew who they were (witnesses of the transforming grace of Jesus Christ), lived their lives with that purpose in mind, and were given a label that characterized their mission. We must note that their label did not dictate their mission or purpose. Purpose flows from our identity.

It is interesting to see that the label we cling to is used only three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16). Perhaps, our struggle in American churches is not so much that the world is so unacceptable of our label. Maybe our struggle is that we are more concerned with our label than we are about our identity and purpose. You can call me what you want, but it doesn’t change who I am.

Application
Have you ever allowed a label to determine your identity?

If identity gives us our purpose, what should we be more passionate about: discovering who we are or defending what people call us?

Are you called a Christian because you are fulfilling your purpose as a witness of Jesus Christ’s transformation (identity)? Or because you are seeking to gain your purpose from the label?

Prayer
Father,

I have been so challenged by today’s thought. Thinking back over my life, I have desired a label that would impart identity and meaning in my life. All along You have desired to reveal who I am in You. Who I am in You answers the question, “Why I exist?” Today, I long to delve into understanding who I am in order that I may find out why I exist. While a label may describe that, it cannot impart that. May the world call me a Christian because I am being who I am.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.