Uncomfortable

Peter is smart. He doesn’t defend himself when the Jewish Christians have a fit about the new Gentile believers. No, he simply tells them the story, complete with how the Holy Spirit Himself came and gave the Gentiles faith in Jesus, just as He came to the first Jewish believers at Pentecost. And he says, “If God gave them the Spirit just like He did for us, who am I to stand in God’s way?”

And the Jewish Christians are smart, too, not to let their own prejudices stand in the way of what God is clearly doing! With the Holy Spirit’s help, they open their hearts to these strange new Christians—even though it’s clear that it’s going to change the church in so many ways. But their hearts are open to love them anyway. They know that these are the ones Jesus promised to bring: “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd” (John 10:16).

And what about us? There are people every day who hear and believe the Good News of Jesus, how God came into our world to save us through His own suffering, death, and resurrection, and to make us God’s children. Some of these new believers are very strange to us—refugees who speak other languages, people who are richer or poorer than we are, people with different customs or politics or ways of living. And yet, God sends His Spirit to give them faith in Jesus and to gather them also into His church.

When that happens, we feel uncomfortable, just like the early Jewish Christians. But that’s okay. God who called us to be His own will help us to cope with our new brothers and sisters, however odd they may seem to us—until the day when we all stand before Jesus, celebrating the love He shows to us all.

WE PRAY: Lord, help me to love the people You love, even when it’s hard for me. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. What kinds of people feel strange to you?

2. When you feel nervous around them, how can Jesus help you to be at peace?

3. What practical things could you do to welcome a newcomer who is not like you?