"Honestly, how flexible have you been or willing to be?"~Author Charles L. Robinson Jr.

This devotion is dedicated to the person or people who have a genuine innate desire, who have been or willing to honestly try to do whatever it takes to reach, to greater connect with, and depart from disconnection mode with other people. Obviously, the spirit of God connected and not disconnected in the process. I'm talking about ones not meeting the connectedness with others at a crossroad of somewhat tiredness because the mission not being accomplished regarding the connectedness. The tiredness seeking the will of God desiring to be completed because of the God -greatness that will happen once the connectedness is completed.

When I mentioned in the above paragraph "whatever it takes", I'm referring to the personal flexibility to various options, trying different ways to reach and greater connect with other people because of the understanding that there is no one set way that reaches and greater connects with all circumstances. Honestly, how flexible have you been or willing to be? Do you want to connect with other people but the connection has to be credited from being done on your pre-determined traditional ways? Or, Have you or are you willing to make personal adjustments to establish common ground and build the connectedness from common ground? What prompts this topical devotion is my personal eyewitness of circumstances crying for connectedness. Pastors and evangelists wanting to get greater connected with people (liken to an Apostle Paul or Jesus.); friends crying for reconciled connectedness for friendships; family members crying for greater connectedness amongst each other; members of church congregations crying for greater connectedness amongst each other and re-connectedness with church members that departed their congregations; husbands and wives crying for their connectedness liken to their first, second, and third date; teachers crying to connect with pupils that learn different than the majority; pupils crying to connect with teachers to greater learn; and the list goes on. The questions are: Honestly, how flexible have you been or willing to be? Do you want to be connected with people but the connectedness has to be credited from your pre-determined traditional ways? Or, Have you been willing to make adjustments to establish common ground and build the connectedness from common ground?

Now, I'm not saying that you cannot successfully connect with people not being on common ground. The Holy Bible illustrates many circumstances whereby not being on common ground still created (and creates) connectedness with people. In doing so, you are not making adjustments from your initial ways that are contrary (defiant) to other people's ways that can work at times regarding connectedness. However, what if that does not work? What if you keep doing it your way but the connectedness does not work? Are you making or willing to make the adjustments to hopefully get it to work?

Look, The Apostle Paul and Jesus attempted to do whatever it took to honestly connect with people. Why? Because they genuinely wanted to connect with people, it was not some game to them. If their contrary ways created connectedness, they stayed with it. When their contrary ways did not work, they made adjustments to attempt to get it to work. The Apostle Paul's approach to the Church at Corinth was contrary (defiant) to what the church wanted but he stayed with his approach because the contrary (defiance) eventually got them re-connected.(2 Corinthians 7:8-10) At times, The Apostle Paul had to make adjustments, remove from the contrary, met people on their terms (their common ground) to get their barriers down and built connectedness with them from their common ground (with the spirit of God in all circumstances being connected.) (Romans 15:1-3) Jesus approach towards his close disciples was contrary (defiant) to what his own disciples wanted at times but he stayed with his approach because the contrary (defiance) got them connectedness. (Matthew 8:25-27) At times, Jesus made adjustments, moved from the contrary, met people on their terms (their common grounds) to get their barriers down and built greater connectedness with them. (Romans 15:1-3) They (The Apostle Paul and Jesus) stayed flexible (not stuck to one way working), if remaining worked then they stuck with it, and if adjusting worked they stuck with it. A common question could be, How did he Apostle Paul and Jesus know which approach to create greater connectedness? How do you know what is the appropriate approach for greater connectedness? The initial answer to the question is this: A relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit, not merely being religious (keep in mind, 'being merely religious' is what Christ's New Testament fulfillment challenged - His ministry was about people becoming flexible- making changes to get connected.) Remember, the Spirit of God leads and guides to all matters of truth and the Sons of Gods are those that are led by the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul's functioning, Jesus's functioning, and your functioning has to be led by God. So, your personal relationship (a lot of personal time) with God through Christ Jesus blesses you with the communication of God through his spirit that will give you the answer amongst the optional answers (the best way to function in a given circumstance to hopefully gain greater connectedness.)

The Apostle Paul and Jesus gained personal satisfaction functioning like this (you can too- your meat is to do the will of the Father- John 4:34 liken to the Apostle Paul. Also, please keep in mind, that when Romans 15:3 below says 'Even Christ did not please himself', it refers to Christ keeping pleasure first and foremost from pleasing the Father and hopefully others in the process of pleasing the Father before himself but Christ did receive personal pleasure through pleasing the Father first and hopefully others in the process of pleasing the Father first). Who can say they (The Apostle Paul and Jesus) wanted displeasure-dissatisfaction? Their functioning was in the will of God (see scriptures below) and they surely did not want to be dissatisfied by not doing the will of God. So again, now looking a microscopic glimpse of The Apostle Paul's and Jesus's functioning's, I ask the questions again: Honestly, how flexible have you been or willing to be? Do you want to connected with people but it has to be credited on your pre-determined traditional ways? Or, Have you or are you willing to make adjustments to establish common ground and build connectedness from common ground?

I'm continuously enjoying remaining connected with you all through social media (and others who I connect with physically in physical assembly.) As stated beforehand, our continuous connection through devotions very soon consist of short video's (not just writings.) I'm still working on the book (my first Charles L. Robinson Jr. authored published book) as another means of our continued connected relationship (I'm still in the content editing phase, it's been a learning curve for me but looking forward to this initial process to be completed so my publishing turn-around time can be faster - multiple published books within a calendar year.) God bless you and you families and a special, respectful, and loving shout to all dad's, Happy Father Day to all the dad's.

"Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it. I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while- yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry but because your sorrow led to your repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but as it is written "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. For everything that was written to teach us, so that that through the endurance of the Scriptures and the encouragement they provided we might have hope" Romans 15:1-4

"The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, what kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:25-27

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