How do you approach a problem in your life? Do you try to solve it entirely through spiritual means or practical means? By spiritual, I mean prayer and the word, and by practical, strategies and reorganizations and such.

I find it fascinating how the early church dealt with a practical problem. In Acts 6, it describes some Grecian Christians complaining against the Hebraic Christians because their widows weren’t being taken care of. So, how do the Apostles handle this? Do they get together and pray that the problem will solve itself? Or do they devote themselves to solving this problem? Neither…

They let the church select seven men who will be in charge of the distribution of food. In the meantime, the Apostles will continue to give themselves to prayer and the word. So, this was both spiritual and practical. Who says being spiritual and practical have to be two different things? Oftentimes God gives us the wisdom to deal with a practical problem in a godly manner so that in the end God is glorified.

So, when my child is sick, I will pray but I’ll also take her to the doctor. This means when our marriage is in trouble, we pray harder but we also seek for help. This means when we are depressed, we lean on God and also at times medical personnel. This means when we want to grow the church, we fully depend on God but also do the work of reaching out to the community. It must be both.

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31

PH