Acts 2:22-28
““Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’”
Acts 2:22-28 NIV
Have you ever had an experience when you went through what you thought at the time was a bad situation, only to see blessing on the other side of it? There are a lot of stories of people who missed out on something that they had planned on, and as a result they dodged a disaster. Or, going through the bad time, they learned something important or had an opportunity opened that they wouldn’t have happened had that bad time not occurred.
In the moment, we may not be able to see past that bad situation. However, as a Christian, it’s important that we pause and take the long view. When Jesus went to the Cross, the disciples lost hope and were scattered. When the women found the tomb empty, Peter and John had to see it for themselves before they believed. When the others met Jesus in the upper room but Thomas wasn’t present, it wasn’t until Jesus appeared to him and asked him to touch the wound marks that Thomas himself believed.
Going through a bad situation can drop us into despair. The disciples were certainly there. And they walked with Jesus. If it can happen to them, it can happen to us. There are a lot of causes of bad situations. Some of the causes are self-inflicted. But in every bad situation there is a potential for us to grow.
We might develop greater patience and perseverance. Perhaps we have a perspective on life that is closer to God’s than before. Maybe God does open an opportunity for us or closes something that would harm us more. Even if it’s a self-inflicted bad situation, we can reflect on the cause of it, what we could have done differently, and what kinds of things we can do in the future to minimize it happening again. At the very least, we can come to understand God’s great love and mercy through His forgiveness as we realize that the situation is one of our own doing. That is growth, too.
The miracles Christ performed, His sacrificial death, His glorious Resurrection, and His Ascension into heaven to sit on the right hand of God the Father, are a few of the prophecies within Peter's sermon, when he quoted David's words about Christ that God would not abandon His soul to Hades, nor would He allow Christ Jesus, the Holy One of God, to decay in the grave. Instead, He rose from the dead in a physical body of flesh and bone, for His blood had been shed at Calvary, in full and final payment for the sin of the whole world.
Praise God that because He rose we too will rise to life-immortal. May we be ready to witness to those souls that are lost and remain dead in trespasses and sins, so that they too may hear the good news of the Gospel of Grace and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and become part of that redeemed multitude that has been saved by grace through faith in Christ!!!
Father thank You for this day and the prophetic witness in Scripture concerning Christ's first advent, and the many passages that were literally fulfille as witness to this truth. Lord let Your abundant blessings be my friend and family’s portion today. Lord You that You are coming again, and for the many prophetic passages the remind us of Your soon return. Lord help us to boldly proclaim Your death, burial and resurrection to all today. Be a blessing.
Father, we love You. Amen !
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