Wednesday, July 30th

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10 Minutes with God:
Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

Do you ever have moments when you go upstairs to get something and by the time you arrive, you have completely forgotten what you were looking for?  That seems to be happening to me far too often these days.  Somewhere between the time that I decided that I needed something and arriving at the place to acquire it, enough has gone through my mind that I am distracted to the point where I can no longer remember my original purpose.  It can be immensely frustrating.

On a spiritual level, I notice this most often in times of prayer.  I can be in the middle of a conversation with God and somewhere in the middle of the prayer, a random thought pops into my head.  The next thing I know, I have been thinking about my next day’s agenda, what I had for dinner last night, whether or not I remembered to DVR that new show that looks like it might be cheesy but also looks like it might have potential or if the Cubs are ever really going to be a relevant team again.  Somewhere in the midst of my mental rabbit trail, I remember that I was praying and apologetically return to my conversation with God.  Imagine if we did that in a conversation with a friend…we would have a lot less friends.

This week during 10 minutes with God, we have been looking at the example of Nehemiah as someone who demonstrates purposeful and focused living.  We reminded ourselves that we, as the Body of Christ, have an ever-present and great calling to proclaim the gospel in our communities, our families, our schools and in our church.  At the same time, there are many distractions that seek to draw our attention away from gospel living.

Today, I want to consider an example from the New Testament.  The disciples were receiving some criticism because some of the widows in their community were not receiving the same care and attention as others.

Let’s take a look at Acts 6:1-7:

6 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists[a] arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers,[b] pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

The reply in verse 2 has always stood out to me.  The disciples said “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.”  At first glance this almost comes across as condescending, like the work of taking care of the widows is below them.  Upon further reflection, I think that quite the opposite is true.  I think that the disciples understood that importance of this potential conflict and the ramifications if the matter remained unresolved.  However, when determining a solution, they also understood what demanded their immediate attention: “prayer and the ministry of the word”.  Their decision to appoint qualified and spirit-filled leaders wasn’t because this work was below them.  They appointed these leaders because they understood and were committed to the specific responsibilities that they had in the church.

I find a bit of freedom in these verses.  If it wasn't  an expectation on the disciples in the early church to personally meet every need, then it probably isn’t the expectation for you or I either.  Honestly, I actually think that it is my pride that gets in the way here.  “If I don’t respond to this need” or “If I don’t meet with this person” then crisis will certainly ensue.  The model that we see lived out by the disciples reminds of two important truths.  First, the disciples had a clear understanding of the role that God had placed in their lives. Second, they were completely committed to staying focus on that call.  They did not ignore the issue but they did not compromise their calling to respond to it either.

I mentioned this week in the sermon that Nehemiah was uniquely qualified to lead the effort to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem.  In his position as cup-bearer to the King, God had given him influence and opportunity.  Where has God given you influence and opportunity?  Where ever that is in your life, you can bet (at least in part) that is where God has placed you to accomplish His Kingdom purposes.  Don’t miss your opportunity for impact by losing sight of the calling that God has created specifically for you.