Recall:
Matthew 3:17
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Acts 4:7-10, 13-16
When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.....Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. They said, “What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it.
Acts 4:7-10, 13-16
When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.....Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. They said, “What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it.
Reflect:
I always love hearing those words from God at Jesus' baptism. "This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." Just because I know, that as a child of God, those are God's words to me.
Acts 4 caught me anew as I read it this morning. Peter and John were arrested for preaching to the crowd that had gathered after they healed the man that was lame. The council they appeared before was puzzled about what to do. They could not argue with the results of their work. The dud was healed--what could they say?
Respond:
Talk is cheap. Ideas and dogma can be argued against and discussed in infinitum. Action, results have to be accepted for what they are. I want my life to be marked by results. I want to be an open channel that God can actually accomplish things through. I don't want to be just a preacher. I want to be a faithful servant of the Kingdom, an effective leader of God's people.
God, continue to fine tune my life. Guide me as I continue to work on the discipline that I need to make space for what You want to do in my life.
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