Our Friday Devotion comes to us from, Rick Ballester:
"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled , ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4.13
When I was 11 years old, my parents went away on a weekend getaway to Palm Springs. What made this weekend so unique is that my dad left me in charge of running the garage and gas station that he owned. I had been working with my dad for years and he believed that I would be able to keep everything on track.
During the course of the day I had ordered some tires and suspension parts for a car, when the driver brought them I realized that the parts for the suspension were wrong. As I pointed that out to the driver, he was trying to blow me off cause all he saw before him was an 11 year old kid. When he tried to get into the truck to leave, I got in front of him and I leaned against his door. I then told him that the tie rod ends were wrong cause they were for the outside when I had ordered inner ones. The driver opened the boxes and he realized I was correct. When I turned around to head back into the shop, I heard the mechanics clapping and saying that I was definitely my fathers son. Why did they say that? It was because I had resolved the part issue the way I had seen my dad do hundred of times before.
In this passage of scripture, we read what the Jewish council had seen in Peter and John. In the verses prior to this one, we read that they had been arrested for teaching the gospel of Jesus, and healing a man that had been disabled for over forty years. The council asked by what name or power that they had done this, and Peter under the power of the Holy-Spirit, preached the message of Jesus Christ. It was preached with such boldness and passion, that the Council couldn't help but realizes that these two men had been with Jesus. Because they had preached with the same power and authority like they had seen and heard Jesus do before them. Wow! What a compliment! To be told that they see that you had been with Jesus. This is what we need to work on. We need to submit ourselves daily to God and allow His Holy-Spirit to come into our lives and refine us. We must allow the Holy-Spirit to reveal to us the areas that need to be changed and then we must pray and allow the Holy-Spirit to change those areas so that we may become more like Jesus. After all being a Christian means to be Christ like, so let's let the Holy-Spirit do his work in our life. So that those around us can see Jesus living in us!
Have a blessed day in the Lord!
Rick B
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I remember when I first began asking God to "change me." Interestingly, it was over a year, maybe two, into my walk with Him. I'm not sure whether I thought I didn't NEED to be changed, or what, but I remember clearly what it was I asked of Him prior to being enlightened that the thing most in need of change was me. My original requests were for Him to change my circumstances. "God, please change this about my life," I would cry as tears streamed down my face. Nothing changed and I grew frustrated and discouraged. My pleas changed to words like “God, why aren’t You helping me?” I'm not sure why it didn't click that I was the problem needing change, but it didn't, at least not for a long time. However, when it finally did, I began asking the right questions and mustered the courage to ask of Him, “God, please change ME.” Life immediately become more painful, and though I can now look back and laugh at some of the ways in which He purposed to make changes in both my heart and spirit, I also remember clearly the pain from that time. Seems this is an ongoing process and I hope that, despite the immediate pain and discomfort of change, I never stop asking Him to make me more like Jesus. How tempting it becomes to give up when we’re in the refinery, but thank God He’s there to see us through.
ReplyDeleteI recently tempted to move “out” of a refining situation, rather than “through,” because I didn’t see it for the refining process it was. I merely saw my own discomfort and pain, and decided that I wanted to leave it behind. How grateful I am for the reminder that God is simply answering MY plea to be changed. He’s not doing anything “to” me, He’s doing it “for” me. I’ve asked Him numerous times to change me in the last year. Seems He’s answering my prayer. I just didn’t “get it” until now.
Thank you for today’s devotional. I know exactly what God intended for me to take from it and I’m so grateful for the time you spent delivering His message. I pray that with every new refining fire, I emerge “through” it a little more reflective of Him.