-- Thursday, 8/12/10 -- ODD MAN OUT -- Judges 11:1-3
J.R. & Bonnie Ricks
Take a Minute is a daily devotional ministry of
Dogwood Ministries, Inc.
If you need prayer… contact our partners in ministry…
SJ Ministries - Ministry of Prayer
Or simply send your request to SJMini...@aol.com
All other requests, please see the end of the devotional
for Dogwood Ministries addresses
ODD MAN OUT -- Judges 11:1-3 NIV
Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, "because you are the son of another woman." So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.
Jephthah wasn't like his brothers. His mother was not the same as theirs. His mother was a prostitute… so his brothers drove him away. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was made an outcast. Never mind that he was a better warrior than they were. Never mind that he was a greater leader than any of them could ever be. He was different. He didn't fit in. He had to be driven out.
How many people do you know today that are kept out of the "in" crowd because they're different? Take a look at your church. How many people do you have in your congregation that don't fit what most of us would consider the "norm?" How many are poor - really poverty-stricken? How many are of different races? How many are physically or mentally impaired? How many dress differently? How many are ugly – really ugly?
Many times, prejudice is caused by our own fears. It's so much easier to exclude someone than to face our own discomfort with being near them. I still remember the first time I met a guy I'll call Mike. Mike is severely deformed. His mother was given the drug thalidomide when she was pregnant to help her with morning sickness. As a result, Mike's body from the neck down bears little resemblance to a human body. To be honest, the first time I met him, I was extremely uncomfortable. I wanted to get up and run out of the room and never come back. But I didn't. And I praise God I didn't. Because in that twisted, ugly body is the spirit of one of the sweetest Christians I've ever known. There is also a brilliant mind and an indomitable spirit... a spirit that drives him to keep seeking to make things better for those who, like himself, must live in a world that rejects them because they are different. With a twinkle in his eye, he teases people like you and me, calling us "temporarily able-bodied." And he longs for a church where he can enter both the choir loft and the baptistery in his wheel chair without assistance.
Take a look around you today. How many people are you excluding from your life because they are different? How many blessings are you missing because you don't know them? How many potential leaders is your church passing up because of prejudice? Think about it.
--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TakeAMinute" group.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to takeaminute...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/takeaminute
General correspondence or to subscribe to Take a Minute: J-R-and...@dogwoodministries.org
Donations to Dogwood Ministries: http://www.dogwoodministries.org
Personal correspondence to Bonnie Ricks: bon...@dogwoodministries.org
Personal correspondence to J.R. Ricks: j...@dogwoodministries.org
--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--~--