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.