Thursday 20 Apr 2023

April 20: Acts 5:27-33

Key Verse: Acts 5:29
Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!

Devotion:
I think this may be one of the most misused verses in the bible when it comes to people wanting to do their own thing rather than following what God has asked of them. It is easy to use a verse from the bible when you want something to go your own way because our bibles are full of very good stuff! But, no matter how many times we say it, the bible must be used in context and not just random clips being taken for your own good...

The apostles were obeying Christ. He had given them instructions to tell everyone about Him and to open up the truth. They were not doing this to gain popularity or to have a big following or to boast about how many disciples they have or how many people they converted or whatever! They were following what Jesus personally told them to do knowing what they were doing would lead to conflict with the authorities.

When God wants you to do something, it is probably not going to be putting you on a pedestal so everyone can see how good you are; He does not want you to become the centre of attention, He wants to be the reason – not you! The apostles were supporting God and reminded the Sanhedrin God was the one who exalted Jesus to the position they were holding Him to.

When we take on God’s work, they should be willing to face earthly disruption, worldly complaints, evil opposition and so much more. We should not seek worldly recognition for ourselves but recognition for Jesus being the Son of God, our risen Saviour! We should be seeking to be humble and hard working servants for God, but also honest and hard working servants for others too!

Points to Ponder:
Who do you work for?

Will you allow people to see God as your master?