Father, Your Word speaks to me loud and clear. May my ears – and most importantly, my heart – be receptive to You always. Amen.
Acts 16:11-15(<<click here to read the passage)
As we talked about yesterday, Paul had tried to go down several different paths as he began his second missionary journey and initially was pointed away from his chosen course. But then Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” v9 NLT And that’s where they went, following the Spirit’s direction.
I find it very interesting that although Paul’s vision featured a Macedonian man pleading for them to come, his first evangelistic contact was with a small group of women.
My Life Application Study Bible goes on to say: Paul never allowed gender or cultural boundaries to keep him from preaching the Good News. He preached to these women, and Lydia, an influential merchant, believed. This opened the way for ministry in that region. God often worked in and through women in the early church.
Jesus worked in the same frame of mind during His time of ministry amongst us. Now I realize that historically the Church has had a very distasteful reputation of exclusion and biased mindsets…on multiple fronts. It’s not changed a whole lot. But I would challenge us all, to think like Jesus.
Remember Jesus broke down all boundaries when He followed His Father’s leading. He made a conscientious decision to spend time with His Father, hence He readily received His Father’s guidance.
In our human mindsets, it is far too easy to judge and hold people at arm’s length. In doing so we hold them away from any ministry Jesus could extend to them through us. I would remind us all once again that Jesus never once laid out a “sinner” because of their sin. He loved. He healed. He touched. He extended grace, acceptance, and understanding.
Disease? It didn’t stop Him. Mental illness? It didn’t stop Him. Adulterous lifestyles? It didn’t stop Him. Someone totally controlled by demonic forces? It didn’t stop Him. Those controlled by greed and an overwhelming desire for wealth? It didn’t stop Him. He saw who He had created them to be, and He reached out.
How many do we label as “sinners”? And because of that, we hold back. I hope this doesn’t apply to a majority of us, but do we write people off because of…too many tattoos, wildly colored hair, they drink alcohol (not just too much but any at all), they smoke, they cuss, they party their free time away, they are far from sexually conservative – they may even step outside of what we would hold to be sexually acceptable behavior? And that’s a short list.
It may be tough, but can we be like Jesus and go into interactions and even relationships(!) with people with open minds and hearts? Can we dare accept them where there are, and as who they are, love them, and let Jesus work out the rest? That’s a tall order but, oh, what Jesus could do with us – and them! – if we just take those chances and follow His lead! Lord Jesus, may it be so!
May 23rd, 2022, Mon, 1:00 pm
