Acts 16:1-5. After his break with Barnabas, Paul is visiting the churches in the places he and Barnabas had originally preached. At Lystra, he meets a young disciple named Timothy, son of a Jewish mother who has become a believer, and a Greek father. Timothy is well spoken off by all the disciples in Lystra and Iconium, and Paul decides to have Timothy accompany him. Because the Jews in those places know that Timothy's father was Greek, Paul circumcises Timothy. They continue on the journey, visiting the cities and delivering to them for observance the decisions the apostles and elders in Jerusalem have reached. "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in number daily."

God continues His amazing plan by now having Paul meet Timothy, one of his most beloved friends. I am sure Paul is still stinging from his argument and split-up with Barnabas, but God gives Paul consolation by sending him this new traveling companion whom he will come to love as a son.

Wanting Timothy to accompany him, Paul assesses the lay of the land and decides to circumcise Timothy. After all he and the apostles have just been through in this regard, it seems like Paul would not insist on this. After all, Paul had just argued, and the apostles agreed, that circumcision should not be necessary for one to become a disciple. But Paul is being wise and flexible here. He knows there are many Jews in these cities and that they know, because Timothy's father was Greek, that Timothy had not been circumcised. If they are going to make any headway with the Jews, they have to first be accepted by them, and circumcision is a small price to pay for that.

This is a lesson in not being too legalistic and in being flexible when flexibility is permissible. Although Paul didn't believe circumcision was necessary, there is certainly nothing wrong with being circumcised. Therefore, the only thing that would have been hurt by Timothy being circumcised would have been Paul's pride. Fortunately, that is not a consideration for Paul, and he makes a prudent decision without feeling it necessary to defend his seeming change of mind.

We should all have the same flexibility and not let our pride get in the way of making prudent decisions, especially when they advance our evangelization efforts. It's not always easy, because once we take a public stance on an issue, we often feel we look weak if we change our minds. But God is subtle and prudent, and so should we be.