Daily Devotional for June 29, 2016

Celebrating my brother's first birthday.

Matthew 7:3-5
And why worry about a speck in the eye of a brother when you have a board in your own? Should you say, ‘Friend, let me help you get that speck out of your eye,’ when you can’t even see because of the board in your own? Hypocrite! First get rid of the board. Then you can see to help your brother.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
Today, I am thinking of my brother, Tim, who was born 55 years ago on June 29, 1961.  I am also thinking of a childhood friend, Aaron, who came into this world 2 years later.  Both men are in heaven now…Tim left us in 1998 after a lengthy struggle with liver disease…and Aaron fought a valiant battle with cancer that resulted in his death in 2008.  Tim was a Registered Nurse (RN) who specialized in cardiac care.  Aaron was a well-respected general surgeon. Tim was a gay man who never got to have a spouse and children. Aaron was married – and the father of Colby and Aubrey.

Both Tim and Aaron loved God, medicine – and people.  I am confident that neither of them saw others in terms of race, ethnic background, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, or even gender.  They saw people who had medical needs that they could address…God’s creations…someone who had issues that they were capable of mending in some way.  Both men were very good at what they did and used the gifts that God gave them well.  Both men epitomized the kind of person that I would want to treat me, should I need medical care.

Sadly, as in any profession, I know that there are cases where this is not the norm.  I have personally witnessed people in need of medical care who received the “third degree” because of how they looked…what they were wearing…a perceived idea of their socio-economic level or sexual orientation, and more.  I saw it happen to my Tim…as if because he was a gay man, he was not worthy of the same treatment, kindness, and courtesy as others. I always found this rather odd, because I have a feeling that those same people would have been GLAD to have Tim’s expertise on their side, should they have experienced cardiac arrest!  This even happened to Tim once as he filled out a medical history for two nurses – who both knew that he was an RN and “one of THEM!”

I know there are probably people who think I am something of a “drum-beater” on this issue.  But once it happens to you, the perspective shifts dramatically.  Once you see firsthand how hurtful, destructive, and hypocritical such criticism of others can be, surely one can’t help but behave differently – and champion the feelings of our fellow man. I feel like God has allowed me to see these things in order to sound the bell for others before similar things happen to them – or they engage in such behaviors.  This is my reason for being so vocal about discrimination and mistreatment of others…for any reason.  And I hope and pray that I am never guilty of these things myself…although I suspect that at times, I have indeed been critical - and even hurtful.

Not all of us are called to be surgeons and nurses. Thankfully, we won’t all have to live out our Christian witness via terminal illness.  God has given each one of us a unique purpose on this earth…but each one of us also has our own “plank in the eye.” None of us is perfect.  We will all have moments where we speak without thinking…and say or do things that are hurtful to others – and detrimental to our Christian witness.

God has called us to further His kingdom…not just by TELLING others about Jesus – but also by demonstrating in thought, word and deed that we embrace His teachings of grace, mercy, forgiveness, acceptance, tolerance, kindness, and compassion.  I am so glad that God allowed me to know Tim and Aaron…to see them grow into examples of men who fully accepted their mission and represented Jesus in their daily work.  I hope that I am fulfilling my own Godly assignments…and doing so in a way that honors and glorifies my relationship with Jesus.

Today, I celebrate my brother, Tim, and my sweet friend, Aaron…and all who serve Jesus with unconditional love and kindness.  I am striving to get rid of the “board in my eye” – and keep it at bay forever and ever.  What about you?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 28, 2011

Mark 7:1-13
Some Pharisees and several teachers of the Law of Moses from Jerusalem came and gathered around Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples ate without first washing their hands.

The Pharisees and many other Jewish people obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way before eating. None of them will eat anything they buy in the market until it is washed. They also follow a lot of other teachings, such as washing cups, pitchers, and bowls.

The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?"

Jesus replied: You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said, "All of you praise me with your words, but you never really think about me. It is useless for you to worship me, when you teach rules made up by humans."

You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings! Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God. You won't let those people help their parents. And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things that are just as bad.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Have you ever known someone who says they don’t go to church because our churches are full of hypocrites? The fact is… they are right! But that doesn’t mean that the person who is making this statement is any less hypocritical or above those who come together to worship. Clearly, we are all hypocrites. Very few of us do even a halfway decent job of “walking the walk” we like to claim.

But this doesn’t mean we can’t do better. We must closely examine everything we say and do. Before we label someone as “crazy” or an “idiot,” we must think about Jesus’ command to love others as we love ourselves. They may still be crazy or act in an idiotic manner, but it is not our place to call them out on it. Before we sit down at a restaurant in public and clasp the hands of fellow diners to offer a prayer, we must ask ourselves, “Are we truly thanking God for the blessing of this meal, or are we making a show for others in the restaurant?”

People get so stirred up about the removal of prayer from school and the posting of the Ten Commandments from public buildings. And I don’t mean to start a ruckus here… but let’s be honest, is this really such a huge deal? After all, we are told in Scripture to pray in the privacy of our closets. So can’t students and teachers pray silently in their hearts, even if a prayer over the loudspeaker is prohibited? Are the Ten Commandments null and void just because we don’t see a list of them in our courthouses?

What are our real motives? Do we have pure hearts and desire to model the teachings of Jesus Christ? Do we desire to serve Him and honor HIS work in our lives… or are we more interested in impressing those around us? Until we get our own priorities straight, we have no business judging anyone else. And believe me, this is a tall order… for all of us!

We must prayerfully consider our behavior… our rituals and actions – especially those we claim in the name of Jesus. Are we really serving as His disciples, or are we more concerned with looking like we do? My cousin JD said in a recent sermon, “I know a lot of people who look right. Anybody can look right. But I don’t want to look right – I want to be right with Jesus.” Looking right and being right with God are two distinctly different things. Do you know the difference?

©2011 Debbie Robus