NOW PROFITABLE
- DAY 345
- FAITH FILE: APOSTLE PAUL
- SCRIPTURES: 2 TIMOTHY 4:11
Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.
In our text today, Paul is telling Timothy to come with the same John Mark which was the reason why he and Barnabas separated in the first place. He wasn’t happy with the fact that John Mark put his hand on the plow and turned back and he didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Barnabas and John Mark went ahead and he and Silas went ahead. Years have gone by and now he’s asking Timothy to come with John Mark because he is profitable for ministry.
Paul may have been a little too harsh, and maybe, stubborn for not allowing John Mark to join them in the past, but now he had grown. He was no longer adamant, he could now see the profitability Barnabas saw years ago. Or maybe he has seen over time that John Mark has proven himself to be more consistent. We do not know what persuaded Paul but what we do know is that he was courageous enough to reevaluate his judgment and embrace someone he once rejected.
Some of us burn bridges too quickly and we never look back. We disagree with somebody in the past and write them off completely. Years pass and our pride gets in the way of reconciliation or growth. Your judgment may have been right but no one stays the same forever. The reason why community is affected in today’s society is because we are too quick to throw people away in the guise of protecting our mental health. But we are not as quick to review our earlier stance and embrace a profitable brother.
You can review, a relationship. I have friends who are like family to me today but we didn’t have a great start. In fact I was so unruly that they wondered if I knew God but what they didn’t know is that I was hurting. Today they’ll tell you that I am different. Imagine they concluded about me and did not review their judgment. This covenant relationship we enjoy would have been lost.
However, before you embrace someone you cut off check, “Has this person changed or improved? Has this person evolved?” If they have consider them profitable. Ask the Lord to give you grace for discernment. That you’d know the true nature of the people around you.
Shalom.
