Last night we looked at Acts chapter 3. In verse 19 Peter tells the crowd, "Repent and turn to God..." That word repent had already been used in Acts and it will continue to be used in the presentation of the Gospel to the return of Christ. However, "Turn to God" is interesting, considering the context. Remember Peter is in the temple area, people who were there to worship, pray and fulfill what they believed God was calling them to. Yet, with all their religious activity they still needed to "turn to God". A valuable lesson and thought for us today. I believe it is a healthy process to evaluate the reason or our motivation for all our activity, even religious activity. Is my walk with the Lord more about pious activity or is my life a reflection of the transforming grace poured upon me because I have turned to God? I appreciate thoughts given to me such as this and ask that you let me know what you think or if God speaks to you through His Word today.
May God bless,
John
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
The following is a quote from today's "Morning and Evening" devotional. It is in reference to Matthew 1:21, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." It seems to be the essence of what will happen when we truly follow Peter’s exhortation in Acts 3:19 to "Repent and turn to God...":
"Where Christ works a saving work, He casts Satan from his throne and will not let him be master any longer. No man is a true Christian if sin reigns in his mortal body. Sin will be in us--it will never be utterly expelled till the spirit enters glory; but it will never have dominion. There will be a striving for dominion--a lusting against the new law and the new spirit that God has implanted--but sin will never get the upper hand so as to be absolute monarch of our nature. Christ will be Master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. The Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail, and the dragon shall be cast out."
--C.H. Spurgeon
Paul addresses the motivation for all of our activity. He tells Timothy to "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer." (II Timothy 2:3-4) When we truly "Repent and turn to God..." we will strive to serve Him completely. In doing so, we will begin to want to abandon sin and the useless worries of everyday life; the things that so pollute our hearts and minds. When this takes place, "empty pious religious activity" will disappear and our lives will be transformed into a genuine "reflection of the transforming grace poured upon us because we have turned to God." One day we will find ourselves echoing Paul's words: "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Acts 20:24)
God Bless.
Post a Comment