Image from alittleperspective.com
Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/32eoqwq
12 When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you,15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 17 "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, (Acts 3:12-19 NRSV)
Happy Wednesday, ConCafe Family! Blessings upon blessings be yours, dear Reader! Use them, share them, multiply them, and enjoy them! Pray with them, so that others may receive blessings on their needs.
Not too long ago, there was a resurrection of sorts. It was new life given to an old, presumed dead outfit. During its heyday it was a standard fixture in most communities of any size. It was the go-to place for hard-to-find electronic doo-dads, like plugs, adapters, wires, and yes, some appliances of the musical kind. It was there that my parents bought me my first stereo to take with me to college. And if you can't guess what the outfit was, I'll tell you, it was Radio Shack. It was a Texas Company based in Fort Worth and it was known the world over as a place to get needed things for your audio and some limited television needs. The day came when word got out that Radio Shack's days were limited and we saw former RS stores boarded up and soon even the familiar signs were gone. Here in Seguin we had one and in every city I served as pastor we could count on a RS to be the place where we could buy things to keep our music going. And then after a time away, it appeared as an online company making itself known again through texts. I remember getting a text and asking if I wanted to be informed of things they were offering. I typed Y for Yes and soon I got their first offering; a radio. Hmm, I thought, if this is a new life, it's not going where it should be going. Terrestrial radio is not what it used to be and most people are listening not to the radio, but to digital music. You've probably followed the evolution of how music is played, and I'm old enough to remember owning and enjoying a transistor radio that I took with me everywhere in hopes that it would be in range of the nearest signal and maybe, just maybe, I could hear my favorite song of the day. Then records were still around, and kids, run and ask grandma or grandpa to explain those to you. Then cassettes came along, then several digital things like mini-discs, then the compact disc, then the iPod and MP3s and soon those were replacing Walkmans and Discmans. The transistor radio was long dead; yet, Radio Shack was offering a portable radio. And the next day they offered headphones with radio capabilities. I shook my head and thought, I hope they know what they are doing; kids riding bikes with headphones to listen to radio stations might not be enough to help truly resurrect your company. A new life should be one in touch with God and any future that God may have for that life.
Peter, in today's passage, has been a part of a miracle that baffled a lot of people. A man who had never walked in his entire life, confined to begging for his daily existence, asks Peter and John for money. The two stop and ask the man to look at them; the man thought that their gifts might be enough for a meal, but they offered him what he probably had stopped hoping for, and that was new life in his legs. Yet, that was exactly what he received; a way to stand up and walk. And the beauty of this man's new life was that he not only got up and walked, he inspired a song that celebrated that this man went leaping and jumping, and praising God! (verse 8). There was excitement in this man now. Daily and slowly his limited life was now brimming with hope and promise; the possibilities now seemed endless to a man who can now jump and leaps and whose heart can now praise God with joy. The excitement was not shared by everyone; and guess who were the least happy about this? The religious leaders of the day. But those who knew this man were amazed and astonished that such a newness could come to an old life. Peter uses that as his text for his short, but powerful sermon, on God's ability to make strong the weak; who could take the lifeless body of His Son, Jesus, and give Him new life, and as a byproduct of resurrection, bring healing and wholeness to places where that was not expected. And Peter uses that to say, this is a good time for everyone to get right with God; God has been preparing this event since the beginning of time, and now you all have the opportunity to turn away from your sins, and turn to God, so that God can wipe away your sins, and truly give you too, a new life! The spiritually lame, the spiritually blind, the spiritually deaf, all could now have the wholeness of hope that only God can share. And that same power is still God's. God can work miracles even in us these thousands of years later, and make our lives new. The death-causing sin can be wiped away by God's grace, and God's hope will fill your life with a newness of perspective towards life. What is holding you back?
PRAYER: Awesome Father, speak to our hearts and make us all new. You better than anyone know our needs, and to You we turn those over so that You may make us new. Hear the prayers of all who ask, and empower us to share that hope as well; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bring hope to many today with your lives!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
