God's good news: Offered to all, accepted by few

Friday, August 22, 2014

Devotions: Ps 141-43:11; Job 9:1-15, 32-35; Acts 10:34-48; Jn 7:37-52

YHWH, I call upon You; please, hasten to help me. Hear my prayer; answer my plea, great God! Set a guard over my mouth; keep watch over my lips, that I utter no falsehood and no wickedness. Keep my heart from iniquity and the company of evil people. Let a good man rebuke me; keep me from the oily flattery and deception of the wicked. I will keep my focus on You, Lord God, my Refuge and Savior. Keep me from the hidden plots of those who conspire to harm me; deliver me from my persecutors. My spirit is faint, my body is weak and in pain, Lord; my heart is appalled, and I thirst for You. Don't hide Your face from me, or I'll be like those in Sheol. Let me hear this morning about Your steadfast love, for I trust in You. Deliver me from my enemies; teach me to do Your will, my God. Let Your Spirit lead me on the level path for Your name's sake. I am Your servant!

In his suffering and extremity, Job reflected: No mortal can be just before God; no mortal can contend with Him Who Is: all-wise, almighty, eternal. He is immense, but invisible; God is sovereign, and none can question His decisions or actions. I can only throw myself on His mercy, my great Judge. Lord, I yield; let Your will be done.

At God's direction, Peter traveled from Joppa to Caesarea to minister to Cornelius and his household. It was clear to both that God had arranged and ordained their meeting. Peter said: 'Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality between Jews and Gentiles; there are people in every group who honor and fear God. You know the gospel sent to Israel: how Jesus the Messiah, Lord of all people, came and proclaimed God's good news, starting in Galilee, and then in all Judea and Samaria, following the ministry of His forerunner, John the Baptizer. God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, and He went about healing and doing good and great works for all oppressed by the devil. I am a witness of all He did. The Jews and Romans killed Jesus by crucifixion, but God raised Him on the third day and made Him manifest to those God chose as witnesses, who ate and drank with Jesus after He rose from the dead. Jesus commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He Is the One ordained by God to judge the living and the dead. All the prophets also testify concerning Him: that every person who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.' And while Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all ho heard the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were amazed, seeing God's gift of the Holy Spirit poured forth even upon Gentiles. Then Peter declared, 'Can anyone forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?' And Peter commanded them to be baptized into the Name of Jesus the Messiah. And they invited Peter to remain with them for some days.

On the last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus arose and proclaimed, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Those who believe in Me embody the scripture that says, “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” ' Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit, Whom those who believed in Jesus were to receive—but not until Jesus was glorified. Hearing Him, people had various reactions. Some said, 'This is really the Prophet of whom Moses wrote.' Others said, 'This is the Messiah!' But others asked, 'The Messiah isn't to come from Galilee, is He? Doesn't the scripture say that the Messiah is David's descendant and will come from Bethlehem, David's home village?' Some people wanted Jesus arrested; others sought to be His disciples. But no one laid hands on Him at this time. The officers the Jewish authorities had sent to detain Jesus went back to the chief priests and Pharisees without Him. They told the authorities, 'Nobody ever spoke like this man!' But the Pharisees were unconvinced: 'Are you also led astray? None of the authorities or Pharisees have believed in this man.' Nicodemus, one of them, actually had visited with Jesus in secret, and he spoke up: 'Does our law judge a man without giving him a hearing and learning what he does?' But the others sneered, 'Are you from Galilee too? Read your scriptures; you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.' [Their hard hearts and closed minds remained untouched.]