Bible Study: Acts 5, 27 to 33 and John
3, 31 to 36.
The very
last words of Jesus to Nicodemus which conclude our Gospel passage this morning
are words that are worth pondering upon: “He who does not obey the Son shall
not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.” John 3, 36. This was a
reality the Apostles understood clearly. They knew the danger of refusing to
obey Jesus and were willing to give up everything else to obey God. Even when
they were brought again and again before the Sanhedrin who threatened them,
their minds were made up. As Peter answered: “We must obey God rather than men.”
In the
end, it is either we choose to obey God or we obey the voice of society. The whole
essence of the spiritual life is listening to the voice of God as contained in
Scripture and allowing that voice dictate the course of your everyday living.
Spirituality is about being determined to obey God no matter what it would cost
you.
Fear is
a natural instinct in built in us for self-preservation. The spiritual life
begins with a realization that there is something more important than your physical
life, it is being able to transcend this fear of losing one’s life and then deliberately
developing a fear of losing one’s soul instead.
The challenge
the Apostles faced is no different from what we Christians face today. It is
being able to confront evil with goodness. It is being able to speak the truth
in an environment where telling of lies is considered as normal. It is being
able to preach Jesus with our words and actions in a society where immorality,
corruption and materialism is the order of the day. It is being able to obey
God rather than people.
It is
choosing light instead of darkness even when everyone around you seems to
prefer darkness to light. It is being able to forgive those who would hurt you physically,
insult you, threaten you or keep enmity with you for the sake of your desire to
live out your Christian values.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, may I never disobey you
any more. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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