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.

Hand of the Lord

As I made my way to the office this morning, I was greeted with a beautiful rainbow. It seemed to be just the reminder I needed. That gentle nudge that says, “I am in control of all situations in your life today.” Regardless of what you’re going through today, Remember that our God is seated above the earth and above your situation. Hold on to His promises and unfailing love. May you enjoy today’s thought about the significance of His hand in our lives.

Aloha,
allen

Thoughts
Just prior to moving to the islands in 2001, I encountered Ezra 7. On multiple occasions within this chapter the author makes the remark that “the hand of the Lord” was with Ezra. Ultimately, it became the topic of my first sermon in Hawaii.

Just a few weeks ago, prior to preparing for Acts 11, I revisited those words of Ezra 7. This simple phrase has been a source of strength and encouragement to me over the years. I will never be able to adequately or appropriately describe what it means for the “hand of the Lord” to be with us or upon us. I am not sure that entire commentaries could describe the blessings, favor, and strength that are contained within those few short verses.

Nevertheless, here’s what I do understand about the hand of the Lord in Scripture:

• It is not always for or with, but sometimes against. (Ex. 9:3, Dt. 2:15)

                - As seen in the Israelites struggle with Pharaoh and the Egyptians, God’s hand is not always just for or with His people, but can also be against those unwilling to submit to His ways. In this sense His hand is the antithesis of what it suggests in Acts 11:21 and the passages mentioned below.

• It is associated with God’s favor. (Ez. 7:8)

                - From Ezra to the disciples in Acts 11, there is a divine favor associated with God’s hand. When His hand is mentioned to be with, on, or for someone it generally speaks of His presence and blessings upon them. In Ezra’s case, the king granted him everything he had requested for the work of the Lord in Jerusalem.

• It is a sign (or source) of God’s strength. (Ps. 118:15,16)

                - The psalmist and others identified the hand of the Lord with God’s power. In Psalm 118 the Lord’s right hand “does valiantly.” In this particular psalm, the psalmist recognizes discipline and difficulties without denying the staying power of the Lord’s hand.

• It is an active part of one’s ministry. (cf. Ezra 7, Ezekiel 1, Acts 11)

                - One cannot read the accounts of Ezra, Ezekiel, or the disciples in Antioch and without acknowledging the connection between the “hand of the Lord” and their ministry. Of the references to the “hand of the Lord” in Scripture, no individual is as frequently connected to the term as is the prophet Ezekiel. It’s as if his ministry depended upon the “hand of the Lord” (tongue in cheek). Or as if the disciples’ ministry depended upon it. Or Ezra’s ministry depended…

I suppose you’re beginning to catch the gist. We must have the hand of the Lord with, on, and for us. None of us are able to stand without it. It testifies of our God’s favor, strength, and ministry in our lives.

Application
Of the associated passages referring to the “hand of the Lord” which do you feel most prevalent in this season of your life?

Have you ever experienced the wrath of having God’s hand against you? Why? What was it like?

If you haven’t already, ask God to place His hand upon you and lead you into the ministry He has for you today.

Prayer
Father,

I desire Your hand upon me. Today I have seen yet again what it means to have Your hand upon me. You grant unto me strength, favor, and fruitfulness with Your hand. In my life I long to see others come to know You. May You place Your hand upon me as I yield myself to You.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.