Rejoice:

Read:

²¹ At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. ²² But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, ²³ “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” ²⁴ On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

²⁵ Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” ²⁶ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

²⁷ The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! ³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. ³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Many of the principles we have been talking about are simply reiterated here. However, I want to hone in on verse 29 ¨We must obey God rather than human beings!” The immediate verse after this says that human beings are murderers… So essentially Peter is saying, “kill us if you must but we will obey God.” I wonder how many of us are SOOO comfortable with rejection that we would accept it unto death. We struggle with people accepting our style, behavior, possessions, acceptance is everything. Can you say that you are in the mind to obey God no matter what humans say? Are you in the mind that you would obey God even unto death?

The question was poised recently at a Bible study and all those around me said, ¨Definitely! He did it for me!¨ Then they asked me… I admitted I would love to say yes! However, upon further examination of MY life, and maybe youĺl find this too, I noticed I reject God sometimes over trivial things. It is manifested in frustrations or unhappiness with God. When we find ourselves irritated over something in our life and we question God or criticize Him for His tactic. This is all just a lesser form of rejecting God and responding to humans… because you are a human. So the question is prompted for you today: Would you choose God over life? How is that shown in your day to day frustrations?

Respond:

God I know that I would love to say I´d honor You above all things. However, when I look at my life I find ways where I am frustrated and trust myself over You… help me in these weak moments. Help me find strength to trust you even when my flesh seems more reliable or accurate. Keep my Spirit oriented towards You regardless of what SEEMS to be true.

Relate:

Perhaps you have openly made decisions because of those around you observing your life. I think itś time you openly fix that. Perhaps go back to some of those people and fix it. Admit to them that you chose to follow man over God and you are repenting for it. This will greatly impact those who now think you honor man more than God. They may see your decision and realize God MAY have some significance in your life after all.