Acts 2:29-36
English Standard Version (ESV)
On Monday, I was in Austin, visiting some affordable apartments for work. We're working on refinancing them, and someone decided at the last minute that we needed to see them, so off I went. While at the last property, I asked where to get some good barbecue, because I felt like good brisket might make up for the fact that I had to set an alarm for 3 am to catch my flight. They proceeded to tell me about a place downtown where people line up for hours, and they said the only person that's ever been able to cut the line is the president of the United States -- even famous movie actors go to the back of the line. I guess it would be a good test of how famous you are, to show up and see if you're able.
There are ranks in our society -- some wield more power than others. (Some even choose to use this power to better society, which is another conversation for another day.)
Here, Peter is proclaiming that even David, a man lauded by people of faith as someone who sought a relationship with God with all of his heart, pales in comparison to Jesus. We have a hard time understanding just how great Jesus is, because all of our best comparisons fall very short of what a great man he was -- because he's more than a man, Jesus is the Savior of the world.
So think of the best person in the world, and then realize Jesus is a thousand times better than that -- kinder, more compassionate, more loving, more forgiving. Our very words fall short when we try and describe just how great Jesus is.
And this is the Jesus who loves you and calls you his own. Give thanks!
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Acts 2:22-28
Acts 2:22-28
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus could not be held by death -- He was too strong. This same Jesus, crucified for wrongs he did not commit, will not abandon his children, and seeks to fill us with gladness through the power of his presence.
Jesus wants the best for us, and Jesus knows that the only way we reach the abundant life is through finding peace with our Creator, and so Jesus seeks us out and holds tightly to us, calling us into faithfulness. It is a hard life into which we are called, but the training and consistency strengthen us, encourage us, and we ultimately grow into disciples who draw peace and joy from Jesus. Maybe you don't feel like you could ever be filled with gladness, and maybe after a week or a year of discipleship you won't be, but faithfully emptying yourself and letting the Holy Spirit fill you will draw you closer to peace and joy, because it will draw you closer to Jesus, the Savior who seeks you and will not let you go, the same Savior who died on the cross and was too strong for death to hold.
If Jesus is too strong for death, then he is stronger than any opponent we will face, and we can take confidence that we, too, will overcome our enemies through his grace.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus could not be held by death -- He was too strong. This same Jesus, crucified for wrongs he did not commit, will not abandon his children, and seeks to fill us with gladness through the power of his presence.
Jesus wants the best for us, and Jesus knows that the only way we reach the abundant life is through finding peace with our Creator, and so Jesus seeks us out and holds tightly to us, calling us into faithfulness. It is a hard life into which we are called, but the training and consistency strengthen us, encourage us, and we ultimately grow into disciples who draw peace and joy from Jesus. Maybe you don't feel like you could ever be filled with gladness, and maybe after a week or a year of discipleship you won't be, but faithfully emptying yourself and letting the Holy Spirit fill you will draw you closer to peace and joy, because it will draw you closer to Jesus, the Savior who seeks you and will not let you go, the same Savior who died on the cross and was too strong for death to hold.
If Jesus is too strong for death, then he is stronger than any opponent we will face, and we can take confidence that we, too, will overcome our enemies through his grace.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Acts 2:17-21
Acts 2:17-21
English Standard Version (ESV)
Do you ever think ahead?
As a society, we're a people focused on the here and now. You can see this in any city -- everyone's head is down in their own device, focused on their world, on pressing notifications. We're dealing with the urgent, often just trying to juggle things and make it through the day, somehow hoping that tomorrow will be different. But we often don't think ahead -- we don't think about how our actions are shaping us into a certain kind of people 10 and 20 years from now. We often don't save for retirement, because it seems like it's so far away... until suddenly it isn't. As a culture, we've done a great job of isolating death to a very separate place -- we don't think about, don't look that far ahead.
But what do you really believe is going to happen? Do you believe that, one day, God will pour out the Spirit on all flesh, animating us in a sense of spiritual activity? Do you look for wonders in the heavens above? Are you ready for what God might do?
I don't know when and how God will do this, but we can all pray for hearts anticipating the things God might do, both the grand actions and the tiny ways God calls us closer.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Do you ever think ahead?
As a society, we're a people focused on the here and now. You can see this in any city -- everyone's head is down in their own device, focused on their world, on pressing notifications. We're dealing with the urgent, often just trying to juggle things and make it through the day, somehow hoping that tomorrow will be different. But we often don't think ahead -- we don't think about how our actions are shaping us into a certain kind of people 10 and 20 years from now. We often don't save for retirement, because it seems like it's so far away... until suddenly it isn't. As a culture, we've done a great job of isolating death to a very separate place -- we don't think about, don't look that far ahead.
But what do you really believe is going to happen? Do you believe that, one day, God will pour out the Spirit on all flesh, animating us in a sense of spiritual activity? Do you look for wonders in the heavens above? Are you ready for what God might do?
I don't know when and how God will do this, but we can all pray for hearts anticipating the things God might do, both the grand actions and the tiny ways God calls us closer.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Acts 2:1-4
Acts 2:1-4
English Standard Version (ESV)
I've grown to love Thanksgiving. It's a time to gather together around the table, to remember all the blessings we have and to spend time in fellowship. There's no materialism around the table (we save that for Black Friday & Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday), but a wealth of food and a realization that it's the relationships that carry us through the year. There's something special about gathering together.
For the disciples, after Jesus ascended into heaven, they continued to gather together. They wouldn't have known what was going to happen, and I'm sure they spent a lot of time discussing a multitude of options. They'd seen Jesus do amazing things, including rising from the grave, but I'm sure they didn't have an idea as to what he could do through them. The power of the Holy Spirit wasn't something they expected to come over them in such a dramatic way, I'm certain of that!
But they kept gathering together, and sure enough, God showed up in a dramatic way! The Holy Spirit filled them, then sent them out. There's certainly no guarantee about how God will act when we gather together as Christian community, but I'm a strong believer that God does show up and works among and between us and encourages us and supports us and strengthens us and gives us a clearer sense of how we are called, together and separately, as Christians to be salt and light in the world.
English Standard Version (ESV)
I've grown to love Thanksgiving. It's a time to gather together around the table, to remember all the blessings we have and to spend time in fellowship. There's no materialism around the table (we save that for Black Friday & Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday), but a wealth of food and a realization that it's the relationships that carry us through the year. There's something special about gathering together.
For the disciples, after Jesus ascended into heaven, they continued to gather together. They wouldn't have known what was going to happen, and I'm sure they spent a lot of time discussing a multitude of options. They'd seen Jesus do amazing things, including rising from the grave, but I'm sure they didn't have an idea as to what he could do through them. The power of the Holy Spirit wasn't something they expected to come over them in such a dramatic way, I'm certain of that!
But they kept gathering together, and sure enough, God showed up in a dramatic way! The Holy Spirit filled them, then sent them out. There's certainly no guarantee about how God will act when we gather together as Christian community, but I'm a strong believer that God does show up and works among and between us and encourages us and supports us and strengthens us and gives us a clearer sense of how we are called, together and separately, as Christians to be salt and light in the world.
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