Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- January 15, 2011
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Acts 22:2
The feet of Jesus are level for all races. Sin is the only explanation for one race’s sense of superiority over another. It breaks the heart of God. Jesus went way out of his way to love a racial outcast in the Samaritan woman (John 4). He was compelled by the Holy Spirit to reach out across class, cultural, and racial barriers.
In the same way and spirit, God is leading you to reach out to others different from yourself. He is calling on His disciples to be intentional in healing past hurts and serving current needs. Some will receive your sincere service, and others will question your motive. But when all is said and done, your part is to go and to be a blessing, and God’s part is to facilitate trust and healing. You probably do not consider yourself a racist. That is, you do not feel or act better than another human being just because of your race.
However, to be silent or to not intentionally reach out to another culture is passive racism. It is subtle, but the same ill effects occur. The offended or disillusioned ones are still stuck in their inferior state of mind, economics, and education. It is not the role of government to figure this out. Rather, it is the mandate of the church, because Christians know better. We can model the way of racial reconciliation as did Jesus and the early disciples.
Consider a weekly one-on-one study for a year with someone of a different race. Learn about their culture, history, and hurts. Indeed, racial reconciliation happens one person at a time and it happens relationally. Do not wait on someone else to come to you. You go to them. Yes, it is a little uncomfortable and yes, there will be misunderstanding. But Jesus is the standard bearer and the relational mediator. He represents all races, because He created the different races.
Let the Bible be your foundational source of racial reconciliation. Start today on a cross-cultural mission. It may be someone at work or in your neighborhood. Invite their family into your home for a meal. Serve them every time you get a chance, and watch God work. Then the world will see—in technicolor—that you are truly disciples of Christ because you love one another; races will be reconciled and God will be glorified. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Taken from the November 9th reading in Seeking Daily the Heart of God
Available now at http://wisdomhunters.com/wisdom-from-love/ for the first 500 requests: a free copy of Wisdom From Love, a 29 day devotional for February.
Learn how you can help us reach other Wisdom Hunters with your monthly donation… click here: http://wisdomhunters.com/support-wh/
Comments are closed.
We have far more in common than differances with other races.
I am currently living in S. Korea with my Korean wife. The love this family
shares with each other and with me is heart warming. You can check out my
Korean family on facebook. May God bless, Niles R. Wheeler
Thank you so much for this site. I start everyday with it for my devotions. I have failed many times at having a regular devotional time, and now this keeps me on track and in the word. When I am having a difficult time concentrating on my devotions, this helps keep me grounded Again thank you and God Bless you all
Rose Ishee.
“The offended or disillusioned ones are still stuck in their inferior state of mind,…”??? Is this racist? Is it passive? Or just presumptuous, condescending and judgmental?
Sage it could be all of the above, good observations. May the Lord lead us to love and serve one another without regard to creed or culture. Love in Christ, Boyd
The reason why RACES divides if that the word is wrongly used. There is one RACE the HUMAN RACE. Once we realize this fact then we can begin to decrease the divide between the different cultures and ethnicities that make us different.
Hello! And thank you for this web site. I just recently started reading your devotional web site. I have some comments regarding this latest rendering. Allow me to begin with your comments about “race”. You are in error, brother, regarding the issue of “race”. As any first year anatomy student knows, there aren’t several “races” of human beings. There is only one race of human beings, and (scientifically) it is known as Homo Sapiens Sapiens. There is (in reality) no such thing as a “black” human being; or a “white” human being; or a “yellow” human being. All humans are simply varying shades, hues, and tints of the same color — brown. This is do to a pigment found in all humans and animals called Melanin, Melanin is found in the skin, hair, and the iris of the eyes. In the hair it can actually be black.
In reading in Genesis, it woiuld appear that Adam had a reddish tint to his skin. So his skin would have been (most likely) reddish/brown. The problem to which you allude is, therefore, not one of “racism” (which can’t obviously exist), but one of conflicting ethnicities and cultural anthropologies.
Next, you are in error in stating that — “pride and ego drove the human race into different geological and racial directions” —. No. What drove them into different geographical areas of the world and (not racial but) ethnic directions was that they had sinned by not only disobeying God’s command to go out and inhabit the entire world, but their rebellion against God by staying in one area and building a civililization of their own in opposition to God. Therefore, as we are told in Genesis, God came down and confused their languages. It was this that drove them out into different geological areas of the world, and led to the development of the various ethnicities.
You then stated that — “Christ reunites us. He is the racial reconciler.” While it is true that Jesus does reunite us; Scripture is abundantly clear that said reuniting is in Him! Not a reuniting of the various ethnicities. There is nothing found anywhere in the Scriptures that teaches that Jesus was, or is, a “racial” reconciler. The Scriptures clearly teach that He is a reconciler — of us with Him! He also said that He came to bring division.
Later , you said that He “was compelled by the Holy Spirit to reach out across class, cultural, and racial barriers”. No He wasn’t. Jesus was compelled by His core essence; love, pure and undefiled. The actual “reaching out” would be done by those that came after him. And yes, it is true that on, rare, occasion He ministered to non-Isrealites (three times, I believe). But He was absolutely clear as to the order of His program of teaching and salvation. To the Jew first (in Jerusalem); then to all Judea; then to Samaria (He accomplished both of these personally); and to the ends of the earth.
Then you make a “blanket” statement that is neither logical nor rational; and is designed, in it’s simplicity to cast guilt on everyone. You said, —“to be silent or to not intentionally reach out to another culture is passive racism”. This, of course, is patently not true. Have you ever considered the fact that God doesn’t call all of His children to address this type of issue. God doesn’t always call Christians of one culture or, ethnicity, to reach out to peoples of other cultures; even within their own nation. God calls us all to serve Him as He sees fit. When one reads the Scriptures, one sees (often) that God tells His people to stay away from other peoples and their ethnicity and culture.
I also wonder what makes you think that people from other cultures and nations different from yours are walking around disilusioned; feeling inferior of mind, economics, and education. Just what have you been saying to these people? What have you been up to? By the way, Christians are not here to “model racial reconciliation”. Nor did Jesus or His disciples. And please don’t take Scripture out of context to make a pretext (in reference to John 13:35).
Having said all this, I think I understand that you are coming from a position wherein you are calling for Christians to reach out, in love, to others with Jesus’ message of remption and salvation. This is the greatest act of love we can show a judged and dying world. We must tell, and show them, that God loves them; and accepts them; just as He finds them. No matter where in the world they are; no matter what their circumstances are; they simply come to Him just as they are (warts and all) without one plea but that Jesus died for them and they willing accept His free gift of salvation.
By the way, it was God that created them (in the first place) and put them in the circumstances in which they find themselves. I wonder if you have considered that fact?
Respectfully submitted