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 Devotions
Men's Adult Basketball
League Devotions: Part 5
Point 1- Acts 15:36-39
Point 2- The necessity of not compromising what you believe
Point 3- How we apply this to our lives and legacy
Questions:
1. How can compromise be a good thing? When can it be
destructive?
2. Is there something currently in your life that you believe God
is calling you to that you are afraid to pursue for fear of the
reaction of others? If yes, what is it? Is this fear
keeping you from being obedient to the Holy Spirit?
3. What are some specific things in your life that you know you cannot
compromise on? Do your convictions drive your actions?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit, and your Word, which both
convict and give direction. Please convict me of any compromise
in my life that has led to sin and disobedience, and enlighten me to
the things that I cannot compromise. Help me to stand strong by
the convictions that come directly from you and your Word.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
No Compromise
There are some situations where compromise is necessary. If
people did not compromise in certain aspects of their lives, nothing
would ever get accomplished. There is; however, also a negative
aspect of compromise. When it comes to matters of faith,
compromise can sometimes lead to a lowering of standards, which is
always negative.
As we conclude our study on Barnabas, we want to focus on both the
positive and negative aspects of his life. As we have studied,
there is much good that was accomplished by this man of God.
Also, as we studied last week, there is at least one instance in his
walk that we want to be careful not to emulate. Tonight, we are
going to conclude our study with the final mention of Barnabas in the
book of Acts. Although it is a brief passage, I believe we can
glean one more lesson out of it.
Acts 15:36-39 says: “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let
us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached
the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ Barnabas wanted
to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it
wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not
continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp
disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed
for Cyprus.” It is clear from this story that Paul did not have a
particularly high view of Mark at this point in time in
Scripture. Barnabas, possibly remembering the potential he saw in
Paul, had a different view of his younger cousin. As the Bible
tells us, neither Paul nor Barnabas was willing to compromise his
belief about whether or not to take John Mark on the next
journey. We don’t have much in Scripture that tells us of the
journey of Barnabas and Mark, but Paul’s own words do give indication
that Barnabas’ discernment of the potential of Mark was well
founded. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:11 to bring Mark with
him because “he is helpful to me in my ministry.” One has to
wonder if Paul ever second-guessed his decision not to take Mark.
Guys, there are times in our walk where we have to agree to
disagree. Brothers and sisters in the faith can disagree on
matters of doctrine and still love Jesus together. There are
times; however, when we have to stand our ground. If we believe
God is calling us to do something, and it does not go against
Scripture, then we have every right to pursue it. While godly
counsel is a valuable resource, sometimes other believers can actually
hinder what God is calling us to in our lives. They may be
well-intentioned, but they may also be wrong. It falls on us to
stand by our convictions, even if it seems ludicrous to others.
I want to encourage each one of us to know why we believe what we
believe, and be able to defend our actions based on sound
reasoning. Others may not agree with what you do because of your
faith, but if you are grounded enough in what you believe, and approach
others in a loving manner, they will at least respect your
actions. Barnabas was a man who believed deeply and passionately
in the things that he did. Aside from the one instance mentioned
in the Bible describing his hypocrisy, we find a man who did not
compromise what he believed. His convictions drove his
actions. I challenge each one of us to live a life of faith that
is unwilling to compromise.
Credit:
This devotion was written by Lennie McKinney.
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