Image from pinterest.com
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.‘You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,“I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;moreover, my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.” ‘Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, “He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.” This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. (Acts 2:14a, 22-32)
The world has not been the same since the life, death, ministry, teachings, heal sings, and resurrection of Jesus. For years, the way we looked at history was divided into B. C., Before Christ, and A.D., anno domini, year of our Lord; such was the impact of Jesus. And in this passage we see Peter addressing the crowd at Jerusalem with this important message of Who Jesus was and what He means to humanity. Peter reminds them of Jesus' great deeds of power, the signs and wonders He worked among them, and how He was handed over to die, but, Peter says, "God raised Him up, freed from death, for death could not hold Him." He reminds them of what their great king David had said about Him, and the key verse for me, "(God) has made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence."
That should be our theme during this Easter time. Jesus' presence in our lives has made known to us a better way to live, and just Him being near us has made us full of gladness. Yes, the trials and challenges may still be near, and there are things that seek to worry us and make us anxious, but put them in their proper place - all under Jesus. Jesus has the last word in all things, and should so it be in the things that we face in our lives. We can choose to be glad even when others would naturally be sad. We can choose to say we won, while others have clearly seen a loss -- there are no losses when Christ's presence is with us.
PRAYER: Loving God, whatever this dear person is facing, let it be put under Jesus. May Jesus' mere presence be a blessing to them, and a strong source of gladness. For it is in Jesus' precious and powerful name that we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Be sure to show your gladness to someone today in a way that blesses them!
Eradio Valverde
