If you opened up this devotion based upon the title,
thinking I would be making a political statement about Colin Kaepernick or Drew
Brees, you will be disappointed! This has nothing to do with where I stand (or
kneel) in that debate…
In youth sports, one of the coolest things to see is the
response when a player gets hurt… obviously I am not referring to the hurt
player, but instead what is now common practice for the other players to do…
When I was still playing, all I remember was that when
someone went down on the other team we were all told to give him room… told to
get back… which was good advice; let the ones that can actually help have room
to work – we would then end up back in a huddle with the coach getting an
unplanned timeout. Not that we did not care about the injured one, but since we
weren’t directly involved in treating the injured one, we could stay focused on
our game-agenda, which meant that we lost sight of the injured player… (Note:
when a player went down on our own team, we would all be concerned about the
player.)
But in today’s culture kids from both teams are
encouraged to “take a knee” when a player is down… a show of respect and unity…
showing that they are in this together… laying aside the game-agenda for a
moment…
Last week I reminded us that the Bible encourages us, as
believers, to “weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15) This week I am adding
just a bit to it…
In the book of John, we see the response of Christ when
others were weeping/hurting… knowing fully that He was about to fix things, that
He had the answer that was needed, it still records that “Jesus wept.” (John
11:35) Emotionally, He took a moment to “take a knee” for those around Him that
were hurting…
Last week I encouraged us to “wash feet”… that is hard to
do without “taking a knee”… humbling oneself… forgetting one’s personal agenda
for a moment! So, even though this is a bit repetitive from last week, I beg of
you, if you are a part of Team Jesus, lay aside your game-agenda (answers) for
just a moment to “take a knee” in respect of those “injured”… even if they are
on a “team” with a different agenda than yours.
In turn, it will open future doors “to make a defense (answers)
to everyone who ASKS you to give an acocunt for the HOPE that is in you, yet
with GENTLENESS and reverence.” (1 Peter 3:15, NASB) I guarantee people will
ask what is different about you when your life is characterized by love!
Evangelism notes:
·
It is important to be ready to give answers
·
It is important to live in a way that would
cause people to ASK what is different about you
·
The characteristic of GENTLENESS can also be
defined as having a “mildness of disposition” – sounds a bit like even
evangelism includes having a humble spirit of “taking a knee” to serve…
