Acts 5-7

Uhmm... Well, not to say I'm back, but if at least for my own discipline, I have begun again. Scripture is worth my meditation. This avenue focuses that time and gives me an outlet. With a new baby set to arrive anytime and ministry still moving at whirlwind speed I can't promise even tomorrow.

"But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God." (Acts 5:39)

Lately my realization of my "one" lifetime has been weighing heavily on my mind. As I watch TV, talk with others, or observe individuals at the store, I am reminded of the brevity of life and the one shot we have at it. Maybe it's because I'm rapidly approaching thirty, but the question is coming to me again and again, "How will I be defined? What will I be remembered for? What am I making of this one chance?" I even remember listening to a commercial and wondering if the lady doing the voice overlay really felt like doing voice overlays was her calling, what she was to be remembered for, or even what she had hoped to be one day.

I know that our occupations do not completely define us. But in some ways they do. Our lives though, should also be defined by a more noble standard, the Word of God. How are we living our lives in relation to our faith? Where does our source of accomplishment, achievement, and success lie? Does it reside with God or man?

Peter and the apostles had sold out to God. They were about God's work at all costs. We are not all called to be vocational preachers, nor is that the only job that really proves dedication to our Lord. But we must all be sold out to the Gospel's call upon our lives however that manifests itself through our experience.

The world had to take notice of the disciple's message. Their confidence and boldness demanded it. How about you? Does the world have to choose sides when it is confronted by your life? Are they challenged to ask themselves the same contemplative thought Gamaliel had to ask? Have they seen Christ as so stark a reality as to come to grips that they themselves may find themselves even to be "found fighting against God?"

"Commit your ways to the Lord." (Psalm 37:5) We have one life, one shot at it. How are you going to make it count? (A strong barometer is the world's reaction to you... are they challenged and confronted by the Gospel?)