Acts 5 - 10.9.23

Scripture

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT

“But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”

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Observation

Peter and the rest of the apostles were arrested and put in jail because of the jealousy of the high priest and his officials. The high priest warned the apostles prior to not go around town and preach the name of Jesus. But the apostles knew Who had the higher priority in their lives. They knew that God’s instructions supersede anything else going on. So, despite the warning from the high priest, the apostles continued to preach the name of Jesus everywhere they went.

Application

Have a heart that wants to please God above anything else.

Believe it or not, we live in a world that can be quite similar to the world the apostles were living in back then. I mean, most people around us cringe when we even bring up the name of Jesus in a conversation. They give us the eye rolls 🙄. They look at us and will even label us as a “Jesus Freak” or “Super Christian” as they try to ridicule us for our faith behind our backs.

But we as Christians have been given a responsibility. We have been given a mission from God to share the Good News about Jesus everywhere we go. And like the apostles ran into obstacles, (like the high priest and his officials trying to silence the apostles from preaching the name of Jesus), we too will run into obstacles when trying to share about Jesus. We will have bosses at work or teachers at school telling us that we can’t talk about that stuff. We will have people on the streets rejecting us and maybe even get mad at us for trying to share about Jesus with them. It can get a bit discouraging. But remember that even the apostles were rejected, imprisoned, and beaten for their willingness to step out and obey Jesus. They saw it as a badge of honor to suffer for the name of Jesus. Find hope knowing that God is watching us. He sees our every move. He sees our obedience to Him and at the end of the day, it is God we should be focusing on. It is God we should want to please.

“For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.”-1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭

Prayer

Father God, I pray for the focus today to do what pleases You. Give me the courage and the boldness to share like Your apostles did back then. May I be reminded that You are with me every step of the way, no matter what obstacles I may face. May the way I live my life bring a smile to Your face and make You proud. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi