Lesson Fourteen | Devotion #2: Ananias
Ken Perry

Did your parents have to tell you twice to do some things? Mine sure did. It was usually regarding chores, and I cannot recall specifically the reason I did not do whatever it was on the first asking, but it was probably due to laziness. Maybe I thought they would forget, but they never did.

In the book of Acts, we read of three men named Ananias. Acts chapter 5 records one that was struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit and Acts chapter 23 has Paul appealing before a high priest with the same name. However, in-between we find another Ananias recorded in Acts chapter 9. According to Paul, in fact, this Ananias was a “devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews” (Acts 22:12 KJV). Perhaps his devout character is what allowed him to be uniquely used by God.  Acts 9:10-19 records the story for us, “Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.”

Did you read it? In verses 11 and 15 the Lord tells him to “go.” Granted he was being asked to lay hands on the notorious Saul of Tarsus, a man who according to verse 13 was doing evil to the saints in Jerusalem. I think I would have hesitated also.  Ananias, just like me in my youth, complied on the second asking and are we not glad he did. What a life after conversion Paul led. The result was that he had the honor of being used to remove the scales and preside over the public profession of the inward change that occurred in Saul, whose name became Paul. Oh, I am sure that God’s plan would have been accomplished with or without Ananias, but what a privilege it was, and is, to be used in the plans of God.

I came to realize that my earthly parents did not mean anything bad when they asked me to do my chores. They were simply teaching me lessons that were crucial to my development as a productive member of the family. What a parallel we have when we think of how our good, good heavenly Father wants to make us productive members of His family as well. We would do well to learn the lesson quickly that listening to God the first time He asks, is always a good thing.

How quickly do you comply with God?

What lessons are you struggling to learn because you resist the asking from God?

Please remember dear Christian, God always wants the absolute best for us His children. Listen, obey, and think of the privilege it is to be used by God for His purposes.

Lesson Seven • Devotion #1: Eli
Ken Perry

“The cobbler’s children have no shoes.”

I had heard that phrase before and had a vague idea as to its meaning.  It is the same sentiment behind why the plumber’s house has water leaks or the auto mechanics personal cars are held together with Duct Tape and chicken wire. Business strategist Nicholas de Wolff captures it this way, “It has been my experience that the statement refers to the tendency to excel at providing services to the “outside world,” while neglecting to observe that their immediate intimate ecosystem (family, self, home, friends…etc.) is in need of said services.”

As we continue with the world changers, we read of a man that portrayed just that. Eli was privileged to be both the high priest of Shiloh and the second to last Israelite judge. He was a good man tasked with the responsibility as the supreme religious leader. The high priest had to be bold and unafraid to rebuke and hold the people accountable to the standards God set forth. He exercised proper authority over the people, yet sadly failed to exercise the authority needed to reign in his children. He provided his service to the “outside world” as Wolff stated but neglected to provide the same authority to his “immediate intimate ecosystem.”

Eli’s sons were not good boys. The Bible even goes so far as to call them worthless (probably not something you would want to be written about your kids for the rest of history). Eli delighted in the Lord’s service but lacked parental authority. In 1 Samuel 2:22-25 we have this account, “Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And he said to them, ‘Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?’ But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” It seems that Eli only reasoned with his sons rather than rebuking them as he should have. He was faulty for honoring his children above the Lord. Like many of us, maybe he was more interested in maintaining a relationship with his family rather than honoring the Lord with his calling.

How many of us are going to be as guilty as Eli? How many of us will lack the righteous indignation to call out sin and rebuke it with the fervency it needs? My prayer is that whether we are dealing with our biological families or the family of God, we would be willing to, with the love of Christ, deal appropriately with it and them.

And remember, always be sure your children have shoes.

Lesson Three | Devotion #4: Judah
Ken Perry

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Does it not seem as though there is a little bit of these three in all of us? We strive towards doing good yet realize the wickedness in our hearts causes us to sin on a daily, no wait, hourly basis (probably more like every minute). Good intentions met with a bad heart make for an ugly sinner. The Apostle Paul describes the sentiment when he says in Romans 7:19-20, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

When we look into this world changers series and do a flyover of Judah’s life, I feel like he was the same. We see glimpses of the good in him, like when he speaks up for his younger brother Joseph after being thrown into a well by his siblings. We also see it when he offers himself to that same, now unrecognizable Joseph, years later as the substitute or ransom for his youngest brother, Benjamin. He had good intentions for sure.

But we also see the bad in him and are reminded of our predisposition to sin. Judah would eventually become the leader of the tribe of Judah. The lineage of Jesus traces back through him. He had his family members Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (maybe you have heard of them) from which to learn. Great examples of godly men, yet we see his failures and character flaws when we read of him sleeping with what he thought was a temple harlot that turned out to be his daughter-in-law, Tamar. He marries a Canaanite woman, which might not seem like a big deal, but look at Malachi 2:11 to see that it was frowned upon, to say the least. “Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.” Side note for further consideration: Genesis 38:1 tells us that he met the daughter of Shua when he departed from his brothers. He left his support system and accountability system to do his own thing. Not a good idea, but one we make more often than we care to admit.

The ugly truth of Judah’s example is that we have these same flaws. We want to do good for God, yet the flesh often will win the battle. The great news is that God has already won the war. Minor setbacks will happen and yet, paraphrasing Isaiah 61:3, God makes beauty from ashes. He can take our failures and turn them into triumphs, sometimes despite ourselves. You have probably heard it before, and I believe I have said it as well: one of the best things to remember is that we war and battle and struggle FROM a place of victory not FOR victory. Walk in His strength, not on your own. Let us learn from Judah’s mistakes and abide in Christ. Stay close to God, and He will stay close to you.