Tuesday, April 11

Tuesday, April 11

Reading:  Acts 5:17-32

Key Verse: Acts 5:29 (NIV) — 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

Devotional Thought:  You’ve heard the saying, “Everyone has their price.”  Usually this phrase is used in the context of a bribe being offered.  A certain dollar value is offered by the briber. It’s refused by the bribed and the briber ups the ante while uttering the phrase.  The phrase implies that everyone has a breaking point where they will violate their consciences.

That’s what happening in the early years of the church.  Those opposed to the idea of Jesus being the Messiah keep upping the ante against the believers.  They operate under the assumption that if the heat is turned up high enough, the disciples will melt.  They’ll throw in the towel and acquiesce to the pressure.

Fortunately, the early disciples couldn’t be bought, threatened, or persecuted enough to silence them. They had no price but their own lives, and some would pay that price.

What’s your price?  What’s your breaking point?  Can you be silenced by criticism, ostracism, or persecution?

The price is high but the cause is priceless. Revival takes place when Christians can’t be bought.

Action:  Consider factors in your life that silence your profession of Jesus as Messiah.  Be willing to face whatever consequences may come your way as you obey God rather than man.  Remember, that those who confess Jesus before others, Jesus will confess them to His Father in heaven.