Day 357 "What Have You Done For Me Lately?"

 

Passage: Acts 21:20b-23

 

Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you.

 

Devotion:

 

Paul had just returned to Jerusalem from a rather arduous missionary trip. He had brought with him a monetary gift which he had collected from various church's along the way. These churches had heard of the difficult economic times that had fallen on the believers in Jerusalem and as a result had given generously to help them. It is rather interesting to me that no sooner had Paul presented the gift (some of which came in advance of his arrival); without even a thank you from the leadership of the church in Jerusalem; and immediately following his detailed explanation of the rigors of his journey--that the leaders of the church presented him with a problem--then asked a question: "What shall we do?" Without answering the "we" part of the question, this immediately became an action item for Paul to do: "...so do what we tell you."

 

When I was growing up I hated report cards. Not because I wasn't a good student but because I dreaded my father's reaction to my grades. No matter how well I did, regardless of the number of A's and high citizenship marks I received, my father's focus always went to the lone B or C or the "Satisfactory" citizenship rating. I always felt defensive. I found myself explaining why I got a B or how I could turn a "Satisfactory" into an "Outstanding" the next time, rather than basking in his praise of what I had just accomplished, my father pointing out what I needed to do better the next time.

 

Somehow through my relationship with Jesus Christ I have been able to avoid most of the emotional and productivity pitfalls that might have beset me had I not known the Lord. How? Because I constantly remind myself that it is not man's praise I seek, but the Master's acknowledgement of "Well done good and faithful servant." It is from this perspective that I think Paul was able to accept the "...so do what we tell you," response of the leadership in Jerusalem without any resentment over the lack of praise and acknowledgement regarding what he had just accomplished.

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

By not responding with resentment, Paul demonstrated great Christian maturity. How mature are you? Do you yearn and seek the praise and acknowledgement of others, or does your confidence rest in the Lord? How would you respond if you had just spent three or four years doing something amazing for the Lord, yet rather than bask in the praise of your peers--you were given something else to do--right now? How would you feel? How would you react? Can you relate this to any recent experiences? Using Paul's example, how would you change the way you responded?