Guilty

Guilty by Relation

Acts 23:16

"And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul."

There are a people in this world who are forgotten by most churches. These people will not clamor for your attention. These people will not let you know they have been forgotten. These people have been convicted of no crime, yet they are people who are looked upon as if they have committed a crime. These people carry a secret of which they tell no one. These people I am talking about are the immediate family members of those who are imprisoned.

In the verse above, Paul is in prison when his nephew visited him. Paul had not been convicted of a crime, but was being held for trial. While still in Jerusalem, it seems as if Paul's family visited him in prison. Though Paul was hated by most in that community, he still had family that loved him. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for this family to go and visit Paul? Can you imagine how they must have been looked upon as word got around that they were the family of the hated preacher? Many did not realize that even though Paul was being held for a crime, his family had committed no crime. What many did not realize was that though the community accused Paul of a crime, the love of the family did not cease. This family was guilty of one thing, being related to Paul.

I come to you on behalf of a large group of people who are forgotten and need your love. This group of people are the families of those who are incarcerated for crimes against society and humanity. The purpose of this devotional is not to defend the incarcerated, the purpose of this devotional is to defend the families of those who still have a great love for a family member who did something wrong. Sure, their family member probably is justifiably paying for a crime which they committed, but the family members committed no crime other than being related to the incarcerated.

Let me simply remind you that many of these families who have a loved one in prison hurt more than you will ever know. They certainly don't justify the crime of their loved one, but love doesn't stop just because their loved one did something terribly wrong. Yet, many in society look down on these family members as if they committed a crime. May I remind you that the only "crime" they committed was being related to the one who committed the crime. If you were to go to the waiting rooms of prison and jails, you would find inside those waiting rooms are dads, moms, children, brothers and sisters who carry broken hearts. Many times these family members feel like they are being treated as the criminal only because they are related to someone who has done something wrong.

Christian, one of the greatest ministries you could perform is to help these families. They need someone who will accept them and love them, and not hold them accountable for what their loved ones have done. You could probably lead many of these people to Christ if you would simply reach out and love them. Sure, this may not be the most flashy ministry which you could be involved, but let me remind you that Christ did not try to reach the righteous. He went after the lost.

Let me encourage you to think about helping the families of the incarcerated. No, I'm not asking you to help them financially, but I am asking you to reach out and love them and let them know that you don't hold them guilty. Let them know that Christ loves them and wants them saved. Don't be guilty of convicting a person because their loved one is incarcerated. If you would simply love them and let them know you will be a friend, you would be surprised how they would open their hearts to Christ.

Misdirected

Misdirected Drive

Acts 20:22

"And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:"

Some things are not wrong in themselves, but when performed in the wrong order they become wrong. A burden is not a bad thing, but a burden that blinds you from God's will becomes bad. It is hard to believe that a burden could be bad, but a burden, if not carefully controlled, will cause a person to leave what God called them to do.

The Apostle Paul had a great burden for the Jewish people. Romans 9:3 shows us how much of a burden Paul had when he said, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:" Paul had such a burden for his people that he said he was willing to go to Hell so that they could go to Heaven. Though this was Paul's burden, having a ministry to the Jews was not God's will for his life. We find God's will for Paul's life in Acts 22:21 when it says, "And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles." God's will for Paul's life was to reach the Gentile world; however, he allowed his burden to drive him to the degree that it caused him to waste much time that could have been spent doing what God called him to do.

There is nothing wrong with you having a burden, but when your burden drives you, it can cause you to leave God's will for your life. I have watched preachers allow a burden to take them away from God's will for their life. They left where God called them to go to another place for which they had a burden, only to regret leaving God's will. Sure, where they went needed the Gospel. Sure, their purpose in going to where they went was good, but your burden should never be the driving force in going some place, only God's will should do that.

Furthermore, when your burden drives you, it can cause you to waste time. Look at how much time Paul wasted trying to convince the Jews to get saved when he could have used that time to go after the Gentile world like God called him to do. Yes, he certainly reached the Gentile world, but one can only wonder how much more could have been done if he would have stayed focused on what he was supposed to do. If you allow your burden to become the driving force in your life, you could find yourself wasting time on that which God has not called you to do.

Moreover, when a burden drives you, it can cause you to make foolish decisions. Paul's burden caused him to take a Jewish oath. That oath resulted in Paul being bound for the rest of his life. A burden can blind you from what you are supposed to do. It can cause you to justify leaving God's will for your life. An uncontrolled burden can blind you and lead you away from God's will.

A burden in itself is not a bad thing, but a burden being the driving force of your life can cause you to make some very unwise decisions. Always keep a good perspective of your burden, and only let the Scriptures and God's will for your life direct you. If a burden comes because you are doing God's will then that is fine, but always keep God's will as your top priority. Sometimes, God's will is not always going to be exciting and flashy, as can be seen in the lives of many of the Old Testament prophets. If you allow your burden to become your driving force, then it will take you away from God's will when it isn't producing like you thought. Remember that God is more interested in you doing what He called you to do more than He is in results. If you keep that in mind, then you can keep your burden in its proper place.

Beware

Beware of the Scribes

Luke 20:46

"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;"

When you have been around Christianity as long as I have, you begin to understand the frustration Christ must have had with the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes were people who copied documents, especially the Scriptures, so that people had something to read. Because there were no printing presses in these days, the scribes were very important to society. In the verse above, Jesus warned the people to be cautious of the scribes. His caution was because their actions were something that should not be copied. Let me show you what was so dangerous about the attitude of these scribes.

First, they loved to be known for their education. The wearing of "long robes" was something that educated people would do so they could be recognized. These scribes thought their education made them better than others. We must be careful that we don't let education cause us to look down on others. Truthfully, there are many educated idiots in our day. Just because someone has education does not make them smarter than others. I would rather have someone working with me who has common sense over someone who has education and no common sense. I'm not against education at all, but education never makes anyone better than someone else.

Second, the scribes loved to be recognized by famous people. The "greetings in the markets" was merely being recognized by influential people. This made the scribes feel that they were more important than others. Christian, you need to be careful about striving to be recognized by the influential. It is better to know God than it is to know someone famous. Stop trying to be recognized by an influential person and strive to be recognized by God.

Third, the scribes loved position. The "highest seats in the synagogues" were simply holding a position in the council of the synagogue. It would be like holding a seat on the city council or some board of the church. There is nothing wrong with having a position, but you should not strive to obtain it. You should simply strive to do your job. When you do what you are supposed to do, then you will find that position will naturally come. Don't do things so you can acquire position, and don't fight others to get it. Simply, be the type of person who works hard at doing what you are supposed to do.

Fourth, the scribes classed people. What I mean by this is they would have an "in" crowd, and then there was everyone else. Let me make this clear, in God's eyes there is no "in" crowd, there are only people. If you start to think that there are classes of people in Christianity then you will be guilty of thinking you are better, or not as good as, others depending on how you are classified. Jesus warns us not to be guilty of classifying people.

Fifth, the scribes ran over anyone just to get what they wanted. Christian, be careful about hurting others so you can get position or title. Don't make people your stepping stones; rather, make your life about helping people and you will be surprised how they will push you up.

Finally, the scribes lived their life as a show. What they were in public was not what they were in private. Be careful about living two lives. Always strive to be the same in private and in public. If you live a double life, you will hurt those closest to you, and most of all, you will hurt yourself.

When Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes,..." He was warning us not to act like them. Be sure that your life does not resemble the attributes of the scribes. If you will simply live your life to please God, then these things that the scribes strove for will only be a tool to better help people if God gives them to you.

Keys

Two Keys of the Successful Christian Life

Mark 12:28

"And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?"

If you were to study the Scriptures and make a summary of the successful Christian life, you would find that the answer Jesus gave to the question above is the summary. In an attempt to catch Jesus saying something wrong, the scribes asked Jesus which commandment was the most important commandment. Jesus answered by showing them that Christianity hinges on two things; your treatment of God, and your treatment of mankind. If you get both of these areas right, then you will be successful in your Christian life.

Jesus described how He expects you to treat Him by saying that you should love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. This is interesting because these areas make up your whole being. He wants you to love Him with your heart, which is your emotions. He wants you to love him with your soul, which is your character. He wants you to love Him with your mind, which is your intellect. Finally, He wants you to love Him with your strength, which is your effort and zeal.

However, it is interesting that God says you are to do these things to the best of your ability. Notice He uses the words, "with all."  Your all is not someone else's all. Some people are more emotional than others, but you are to love Him with all of your emotions. Some people who have only been saved a short time don't have the character of those who have been saved longer, but with whatever Christian character you have you are to live a life for God with it. Not every person has the same intellect, but with whatever intellect you have you are to love Him. Not everybody has the same level of physical strength, but with whatever strength you do have you are to love Him with all of it. In other words, God doesn't measure your love in these areas by comparing them to others, but He measures your love to Him by comparing them to what you can do. God wants all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Furthermore, God says that the second key to successful Christianity is your treatment of others. God expects you to treat others the same way you would treat yourself. For example, you are to treat the fallen the same way you would treat yourself if you fell. You are to treat the successful the same way you would treat yourself when you are successful. You are to treat the grieving the same way you would treat yourself if you were grieving. You are to treat the young Christian the same way you would treat yourself if you were a young Christian. A successful Christian will be one who considers how they would want to be treated in every situation, and use that as the guide to how they would treat others.

Christianity is not really hard to figure out. If you will treat God and mankind right, then you will be a successful Christian. If you get one of these areas wrong, then you will get both of them wrong. They both depend upon each other. If you treat God right, then you will treat mankind right. Likewise, if you treat mankind right, you will treat God right. They both hinge upon each other. If you want to be successful as a Christian, then focus on getting these two areas right and you will succeed.