Bart pointed out that the lame man was asking for a transaction. He wanted some money from the disciples. That’s all he expected. He showed up every day hoping for a few coins that he could use to buy food. But Peter and John offered him relationship… healing. And when he was done the Bible said that he “clung” to the disciples. They had offered him a relationship that led to his healing.
Here’s the interesting part…. you may or may not know that I volunteer with Community Connected which uses the Open Table model. Six other folks and I meet weekly with a woman who is trying to transition out of poverty. Obviously this is a relationship based model, not transactional. We don’t give her stuff… we build relationships. After our meeting I was talking to two other table members who happen to be young newlyweds who work for Liberty. Their passion is so impressive. Just neat kids. I was telling them about this concept as we were discussing mission trips, something that they are responsible for, in part, in their jobs.
Their eyes got bigger and bigger as I talked. It turns out that the campus pastor at Liberty this week used the same passage and the same words as he spoke to thousands of students this week. Our responsibility as Christ’s body is more than transactions… it’s relationship.
I concluded my Facebook post as I will conclude this devotional. (Is it ok to quote oneself? :-) Lives are seldom changed by transitions. Lives are changed when we do more than reach out and touch someone, but when we reach out and grab their hand and promise to never let go.
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