22 “Men of Israel, 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.
We so often want proof of things today. We want to see the scientific studies that prove a particular diet works. Or that a medicine is safe. Or that someone is a natural born citizen. We want to see it with our own eyes. When there is evasion around providing the proof, we get suspicious of the claim. We doubt the truthfulness of the source of the information. We are a skeptical bunch! People haven’t changed much. Peter has a crowd before him that wants proof, so he begins to lay out the proof. Peter begins by pointing out that God had been demonstrating again and again that Jesus was who He claimed to be, namely, God in the flesh. They had seen the proofs over and over again. His miracles showed that this was more than a mere human being. And it was not just one miracle demonstrating mastery over one realm of nature. He had done multiple miracles over everything from the wind and bread to life and death itself. And the people he was talking to that day had witnessed these miracles. They just did not understand what they meant, what significance those miracles had on their lives, why they were important to them. Peter simply takes the time to explain that link between meaning and events and they come to faith. That is our quest as well. It is one thing to read the Scriptures and another to understand the “so what” and the “now what” for our lives. That next step of “now what” is where past meets present and future. Since Jesus died, rose again and empowered us with His Spirit, how should we live our lives differently than before we knew and experienced this for ourselves? What needs to change in us? If you are willing to listen, the Lord will let you know. His Spirit will communicate directly with you, guiding and directing your steps. It would be so easy to have a list of ten things God wants us to do, but God wants to custom tailor a list for you. This list will reflect His character to such a degree that you will become more and more holy in your living. Sin will become less and less practiced in your life. You will want to spend more time in fellowship with Him and with others. Your life will take on a very different character. ‘Things’ will become less important. Sin will be less attractive. Righteousness will become your best friend. Are you willing to listen to the message of His Spirit for your life?
The Arnold Journey 