Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 5:25, “[They wondered what the outcome would be.] So one came and told them, ‘Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.’”
I’ve not met anyone who has ever gone to the extent of making job descriptions for their family members. I don’t know of anyone who has actually written out what each person is required and expected to do, and the qualifications that are necessary to perform those particular tasks. But somehow, in your home and mine, things are getting done, people are taking care of things, and most everyone knows what is and is not their responsibility. Without ever expressly defining it, my relationship with my wife includes her making sure the bills are paid each month, while I generally do the cooking. She prefers to handle the laundry, the kids take care of the bathrooms, dishwasher and mowing, and I do the taxes. It might seem somewhat arbitrary, as I would expect some of your arrangement does as well, but it’s the way things are for us. There’s a phrase that’s tossed around these days that says, “He had one job.” It’s used derogatorily to belittle one who supposedly had one simple task to do, such as kick a field goal or not be late for the wedding, but the person failed. With so many things pulling us in so many directions, it’s not uncommon for us to drop the ball on something that’s important. It’s also easy for us to put our focus and energy where it shouldn’t be.
For the high priest, captain of the temple, and chief priests, their obsession with the apostles and their spreading of the gospel led them to continually seek and pursue and persecute those men, while these simple followers of Jesus were the ones in the temple teaching the people. Rather than receive and spread the message of the Messiah, that very thing for which they and their people had been waiting for thousands of years, these religious leaders became vigilantes and sought to punish the ones who were doing their jobs. It may seem arbitrary, but God still made sure that things got done and people were taken care of. When you gave your life to Jesus, He didn’t hand you a job description, except He sort of did. His Word explains who you are, what are your qualifications, and what you should do. I’m thinking that most of us could use a little tweaking in how we spend our time and where we put our focus.
As we seek Him today, think back over what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and why you made Him your Lord and Savior. And let that define and describe you.
Have a super Wednesday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
