Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

With people come problems, and the church is no exception. As the early church began to grow in number, it also grew in issues. The Hellenists, or Greek-speaking Jews, were being forgotten about as the church handed out food daily to those who were in need. I think Luke includes this detail in the biography of the church for more reasons than to explain how the role of deacon was established. It is a reminder that no one is perfect, not even the Apostles.

Throughout the ministry of Jesus told through the Gospels, we see the flaws and inconsistencies of the Apostles as they struggled to understand what it meant to follow the Son of God. They got it wrong often. Most of the time it took them longer to understand than it should. Even at the end, Peter denied his faith.

In the Book of Acts, however, the Apostles find super-stardom. After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, they are the ones at the center of the unimaginable movement. It would have been so easy for them to get puffed up, arrogant, big-headed, and to feel untouchable. But early on, we are reminded that everyone makes mistakes.

How do you handle correction? It probably depends on the source of the correction. If it is somebody I love and who I know loves me, it is a lot easier to hear where I have come up short or can improve. If I don’t know you, and our first interaction is you telling me what you think I did wrong, well, honestly, it’s pretty hard for me to receive that.

I have heard it said many times, “Eat the fish and spit out the bones.” It means in every bite there is going to be something good to consume and probably something to be thrown away. When correction comes your way, eat the fish and spit out the bones. Find what needs to be accepted and digested and just spit out the rest. Don’t let yourself get choked up on what doesn’t benefit you.

These imperfect Apostles received the complaint, made the necessary corrections, and the whole church was better for it. Look at what happened because uncomfortable conversations and corrections were willing to be made.

“And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” Acts 6:7

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflections:

• How do you handle correction? Have you received correction poorly and need to apologize or seek forgiveness for how you responded?

Family Devo: Acts 6

By: Carrie Hobson

In today’s reading, we see that the number of disciples was growing daily! With that, it meant some jobs weren’t getting done. Some of the widows needed food so the disciples chose seven men to serve food to the people who needed it. These men served the people, and the rest of the disciples were able to continue traveling and teaching about Jesus. More and more people came to know Jesus, and the number of disciples continued to multiply!

Did you know that you are one of God’s disciples if you’ve believed, asked Jesus into your heart, and been baptized? When you become a believer, you have a mission to teach others about Jesus, just like the early disciples. You can be a disciple by obeying God’s Word and sharing it with others. If you have questions about what it means to be baptized, ask your KXP leader or kid’s minister. They would love to help!

• Pray: God, thank You for the opportunity to share You with others. Help me to always make good choices and be an example for You in everything I do! Amen.