Good Trouble for God

A welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The reading for today titled Good Trouble for God was written by Marvin Williams. One day, a sixth-grade student noticed a classmate cutting his arm with a small razor. Trying to do the right thing, she took it from him and threw it away. Surprisingly, instead of being commended, she received a 10-day school suspension.

Why? She briefly had the razor in her possession, something not allowed at school. Asked if she would do it again, she replied, even if I got in trouble, I would do it again.

Just as this girl's act of trying to do good got her into trouble, her suspension was later reversed. Jesus' act of kingdom intervention got him into good trouble with religious leaders. The Pharisees interpreted Jesus' healing, a man with a deformed hand, as a violation of their rules. Christ told them if God's people were allowed to care for animals in dire situations on the Sabbath, how much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Because he's Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus could regulate what is and isn't permitted on it. Knowing that it would offend the religious leaders, he restored the man's hand to wholeness anyway. Sometimes believers in Christ can get into good trouble doing what honors him but what might not make certain people happy as they help others in need.

When we do, as God guides us, we imitate Jesus and reveal that people are more important than rules and rituals. This is today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading taken from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 12 verses 9 through 14. Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? He said to them, if any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?

How much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man, stretch out your hand.

So he stretched it out and it was completely restored just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Would you take a moment and pray with me? Dear Jesus, please give us the courage to do what's right even when it means getting into good trouble. May we trust you with whatever the outcome may be, knowing that our lives are in your hands and even when the result is difficult, that you will give us all we need to endure. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.