Loading... FOR ALL MEN GLORIFIED GOD - Acts 4:21
Sunday, September 30th, 2007Acts 4:21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.
Peter and John had healed a lame man and because of the boldness of their sharing the gospel with the people in the temple, they were punished. The religious leaders desired to punish the apostles more but because the people saw what the apostles did as something from God, the religious leaders understood that if they tried to punish Peter and John that the people would lose all respect because they were in their minds fighting against God.
What the multitudes understood when they saw that the lame man healed was a miracle from God. They gave glory to God for the healing of the lame man. However, the religious leaders had allowed their judgment to be clouded by their own positions, power, and prestige. The religious leaders where so blinded by their own ambitions that they did not acknowledge that God was working through these apostles. The religious rulers were not stupid, while they personally did not recognize the work of God; they were able to recognize that the people saw the work of Peter and John as a work from God.
The religious leaders were very political; they were more concerned about their own position, power, and prestige then they were about finding out the truth. Had the religious leaders desired to discover the truth; they would have quickly found the error of their way and been able to repent and learn to live their lives the way God desired them to live. All the religious leaders had to do was to seek the truth of scripture rather than hid behind the traditions of man. God would have revealed HIMSELF to the religious leaders had they only been willing to seek HIM; had they only been willing to find HIM.
The multitudes quickly were able to recognize the power of God because they were not concerned with living by the old traditions of man. The multitudes were not concerned with their own position, power, and prestige. Because the heart of the multitude was more ready to learn, when God showed HIMSELF strong, they were able to recognize that God was alive and active and they were ready to turn their lives over to God.
If you desire to see the hand of God in your life, you must be willing to lay aside your own ambitions. In order to add knowledge of the ways of God, you must first humble yourself. No longer is your position, your power, or your prestige the most important thing. Instead, your focus must be upon God. When you do not allow pride to have control over your life, God will be able to reveal to you HIS power. Moses had high visions for his life. However, it was not until he spent many years tending sheep in the wilderness that he saw the burning bush. God honored Moses not because Moses had visions of being a great leader; God honored Moses because he was meek and ready to be used of God. Moses was now ready to follow the direction of God.
Examine your heart today. Are you ready to recognize God for who HE really is? It is easy to pay lip serves to God like the religious leaders did. God desires that you humble yourself before HIM; that you are ready to make HIM number one in your life. As you seek HIM and HIS perfect will for your life, HE will be able to show HIMSELF strong in your life. Do not allow pride to get in your way of adding knowledge of the ways of God. Pride can so quickly blind you from seeing the truth that God has for you. Instead, humble yourself before God and HE will lift you up. Humble yourself so that God can reveal to you knowledge of HIS ways.