From today's devotional
Acts 6.1-15
What quality of service do the poor deserve? It’s a shocking question. We expect our pastors to craft soul-stirring presentations week after week. We expect worship to be musically excellent. But what about our outreach to the poor? What standards of excellence do we require there?
I love the fact that the Early Church demanded the best when it came to serving the least. Stephen led the first New Testament relief and development ministry, but he wasn’t a volunteer who was arm-twisted into filling a slot. He had to earn the privilege of serving the poor. He had to demonstrate a Spirit-based pattern of living. That’s excellence! He had to exhibit God-given wisdom. Excellence again.
It only makes sense. Stephen and the team needed to work across cultural boundaries. They needed to implement an efficient mass feeding program. And they needed to represent Christ in the process. What’s more, they never viewed it as a second-rate mandate. It was a noble platform for service right alongside the faithful sharing of the gospel.
Never view ministry to the marginalized as easy work performed to a standard of “good enough.” When it came to caring for the poor, the Early Church put their best people on it. It’s no different today. Are you up to the privilege?
