Corona Devo 992

The other day at a youth church event, the parents that were gathered in the back of the room were a constant distraction and even disruption as they talked (loudly) amongst themselves while the pastor preached to their kids!

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Last year our son used to (exasperatedly) tell us stories of a kid that would attend their school Christian group every week, and every week the kid 's phone would ring repeatedly as he would make phone calls, take phone calls, and often step out of the room during their lesson admonishing our son to "wait for him to get back".

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In a recent afterschool Christian group meeting, our daughter had one middle school boy playing a soda-pop can like a horn, complete with honking, while many others in the group were so loud that she decided to take a break in the middle of their time for snack, just to quiet them down.

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What can we do when we want to throw in the towel because of distracting or difficult people when we are trying to serve the Lord?  

Keep serving the Lord.  We are in good company.  The best actually.

I previously mentioned some of our family's examples, and you undoubtedly have your own, but here are a few from the Bible.  Distracting people have always been in Jesus' crowds, and while we can't "heal" them, we can be encouraged to know that God is always at work...in us, in our situations, and in others...even in the distractions.

Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day...  (33) Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—cried out, shouting, (34) “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”   (35) But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered.  At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.  ~Luke 4:31, -35

One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. (17) She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”  

(18) This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.  ~Acts 16:16-18

So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. (2) When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. (3 ) This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain...  (6) When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. (7) With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” (8) For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”   (9) Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”   And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” (10) Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.     

(11) There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. (12) “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”  

(13) So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water...

 (15) A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.  

(18) As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. (19) But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” (20) So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.  ~Mark 5:1-3, 6-13, 15, 18-20    

Each of these people appeared to be a "distraction" to Jesus.  They seemed to "interrupt" what His plans or teachings were on those days.  

But God is always at work...in us, in our situations, and in others...even in the distractions.

I dare say that anyone teaching a Bible study/serving in ministry/involved in a church/or working with others in any way has their own stories of people who accidentally or purposely deter, distract, and undermine our efforts when it comes to sharing God's Word.  

But it's always been that way, and those "distracting" people are God's people too.  He's at work.  Let Him work, and we can be comforted and encouraged in the knowledge that God may be working through us.  

Keep serving the Lord.  We are in good company.  

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com