By Colleen O’Sullivan
They brought (Peter and John) into their
presence and questioned them, “By what power or by what name have you done
this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good
deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and
all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ
the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name
this man stands before you healed. He is
the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we
are to be saved.” (Acts 4:7-12)
Piety
I have the strength for everything through him who
empowers me. (Philippians 4:13)
Study
Peter’s musings as he and John spend the night
under guard:
I have no idea how this will turn out. Do a good deed, heal a crippled man, and you
find yourself locked up! This has been
quite a day. I didn’t know I had it in
me to speak like that in front of a crowd.
You always said we might be persecuted and despised but not to worry,
because you would give us the words to say.
Jesus, I miss you so much, but through your Spirit, it was like you were
whispering in my ear.
What a journey this has been. I remember the day I first met you by the
sea. I was contented with my lot. Fishing with my father and brother wasn’t such
a bad way to spend my days. But there
was something irresistible about you.
You were so enthusiastic and convincing, I felt compelled to follow
you. Could that really have been just a
few years ago?
It’s actually only been a little over three years
since that day, but I think I’ve lived several lifetimes worth of highs and
lows in that time. I knew you were special
from the start. I guessed that you were
the long-awaited Messiah, but, looking back, I had no clue what that
meant. I had stars in my eyes and lofty,
earthly visions of grandeur for you and us.
I loved you more than I’ve ever loved any other
human being, but I made a bumbling mess of things on more than one
occasion. I was shocked when you so
strongly rebuked me, because I couldn’t bear the thought of you suffering. I wanted to curl up in embarrassment, but I truly
didn’t want to see any harm come to you.
I honestly always thought I would lay down my life
for you if necessary, but it turned out exactly the opposite. You laid down your life for me, for all of
us. And all I could do was deny I ever
knew you. That was the low point of my
entire life, when I realized what I had done to my best friend. I was overcome by sorrow and overwhelmed with
gratitude and humility that you forgave my betrayal.
We all took your death hard. I wanted to die myself from the grief that
came over me. You being nailed to a
cross wasn’t anything I ever envisioned.
What joy filled my heart when I realized you had come back to us three
days later! Your rising from the dead is
the best thing that’s ever happened in my entire life!
I hope I don’t ever let you down again. Continue to give me the words to say, Lord,
because there are a lot of angry people in Jerusalem, who don’t even want to
hear your name spoken aloud. On my own I
wouldn’t know what to do or have the courage to do it, but with you, I know I
will be empowered to speak the truth. I
want all the world to know who you are!
Action
Peter is my favorite of the disciples.
Whenever I ponder all the twists and turns of his life, I am filled with
hope. He was far from perfect, just as
we all are. But, if we live in Christ,
as Peter did, God, through the Holy Spirit, can empower us and use us to
accomplish far greater works in his name than we ever dreamed possible.
Which
disciple is your favorite and why?
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