A Higher Way

When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgement seat, saying, " This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law."

And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "if it were a matter of wrong doing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you.

But it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters."

And he drove them from the judgement seat.

Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgement seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things. Acts 18:12-16

This makes me laugh! We can become so obsessed with how a matter should happen that we, in anger, try to use the law to settle a matter when all it does is make us look stupid. Stupid!

Church folk are supposed to know a better way!

I remember seeing a dispute between Rick Warren and his opponents. This was made worse by how church folk treated him when his son committed suicide. Stupid!

We can expect our families to behave a certain way and when it does not happen we become murderous with rage and maim those we once professed to love and cherish. Stupid!

Of all people Jesus, the Son of God, had reason to be angry and call forth angels to exact justice on His behalf but He showed a better way. We need to read and re-read the Gospels and learn how to behave.

I have been challenged with my expectations of my children of late and I find myself restrained to allow for insight and understanding. It is appreciated a lot more than me being 'right!'

There is a higher way and it is good, so good, to find it. Amen!