We remember those who have lost their lives on the fields of battle to protect our precious liberties, among them, the right to write this devotion, read it, and to otherwise express our religious beliefs freely. We pray it never is taken for granted.
Inspired by the Men's Retreat - Four C's That Interfere with Our Relationship w Christ - Concerns
"I have a concern about the direction our school is going," the teacher sitting in my office once said to me. "We used to be like a family but now I feel as though that is no longer the case." I expressed my appreciation for her feeling comfortable enough to come and express her thoughts to me and listened. She was an outstanding teacher who did a great deal for the children she taught. Because of her strength as a teacher and her independence, I thought she would be successful in a portable building which was not inside the main building. The fact is you see those staff less and they are not part of the interaction that occurs as most teachers see each other, and the principal, during the course of the day. In the end, she thanked me for listening, and then I was promoted and never had the chance to demonstrate that I was going to act on her suggestions.
The Fourth C, concerns, can improve the church, or destroy the dialogue, depending on the motive behind them. For example, in Luke 10, Christ gets a question from a person, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Now, if our pastor is teaching a confirmand (an 11 - 13 year old in Confirmation), and he or she asks that, he sees it as a teachable moment. "Thank you dear child for asking that..." Yet Luke introduces the question with the truth, "And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying,..." (10:25). So, is my concern a true concern, or a trap?
Unfortunately, we can only guess, sometimes more accurately than at other times, about the motive of a concern. It can be genuine, and it can be one meant to destroy. Concerns, generally spoken using a personal pronoun (I, me, we), come from the personal level about ministry. Our hope is to take them to the mission level and seek Christ as we build his kingdom.
Peter opens his epistle with this: "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:13) Preparation for the challenge before them as disciples of Christ at varying levels of maturity in the faith. Then, Peter closes his epistle with this: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:6 - 8)
So, we are to be sober-minded, prepared an place our hope in Christ and we are to be sober-minded, watchful, leery of Satan who may lure us into a trap.
We pray our concerns are for the ministry and are used to build up the body of Christ, not tear it down. We pray we are sober-minded, preparing for our opportunities to create, build, and construct the body of Christ and that we are sober-minded, alert, and watchful that we guard against Satan who seeks simply to destroy.
Hope Men's Ministry
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