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Acts 4:8-13 – Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all people of Israel that by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the Cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
What a change there was in Peter! Just a couple of months earlier he had been scared to death, deserting Jesus while He was on trial for His life, and pretending he didn’t even know Him. Now Peter is speaking to the very same people who had Jesus crucified, and he’s telling it like it is—that, though they killed Jesus, God raised Him from the dead, and now Jesus is the only Source of salvation for everyone on earth.
That wasn’t the kind of thing the leaders expected to hear from Galilean fishermen—either Peter or John! What could give them courage like that? Luke tells us: “They recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
Peter and John are different than they once were—because now they are followers of Jesus, the One who loved them so much He gave His life for them on the cross. They have spent three years living with Him, seeing what kind of a person Jesus is—His daily patient, gracious love; His hardworking endurance as He cared for the crowds; His kindness to the people nobody else cares about. They’ve seen Him walk steadfastly to His death. And they’ve seen Him alive after God raised Him from the dead—and so they know that Jesus is in fact the true Son of God, the Savior of the world. In His hands, they are safe forever.
And that’s true for us, too—because we also belong to Jesus. As we spend time with Him in His word, in Communion, and in service, we discover the way He feels about us—the faithful love He has for us, and the delight He takes in us. We come to realize that He will never leave us or let us down. And that gives us courage to live for Him, too. We have been with Jesus, and that means we are new people—children of God, sharing His message with the world.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, draw me closer to You and let Your Holy Spirit rule my life. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- Name one person who has had a huge impact on your life.
- What did you learn from them, and how?
- What changes is Jesus making in you as He lives in you?
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