October 14 - Do You Love Me?

 Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 11,12; Psalms 1; Acts 3

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Because Jesus loves us He has promised to “be with us.”
If we love Him in return, can we promise each day
to “be with Jesus?” 

It may be my state of mind after Thanksgiving weekend, but in everything I read this morning, worship and thanksgiving emerged as the theme.  In Nehemiah, in what may have seemed a mundane list of returned exiles assigned to live in Jerusalem, we see special mention of the singers, musicians, and those who constantly expressed thanks to God (11:17,22,23; 12:8,24,27-43,45-48).  In Psalms 1 we read of how blessed and prosperous we are when we delight and meditate in God’s Word.  In Acts 3 we see Peter and John heading to that same Temple built in Nehemiah’s day for their “sweet hour of prayer.”

But what happens next triggered for me a whole new understanding of what it means to “be with Jesus” (4:10). On the way into the Temple, Peter boldly prays for a lame beggar he must have passed countless times before. The ensuing miracle and bold sermon preached by this same Peter in an impromptu street meeting results in an altar call with thousands more added to the church (4:4).

What caused this massive, almost immediate change in Peter’s personality, from a whimpering, weeping washout to this powerhouse pillar in the first church!  The name change Jesus promised Peter, from a quivering reed to an immovable rock (Matthew 16:15-19), happened in just a few short days.  Most point to Pentecost as the beginning of the change, when He was filled with the Holy Spirit and preached his first sermon.

But I believe we can trace it even further back to that moment he spent with Jesus on the shores of Galilee after the resurrection.  On the night of the crucifixion, this self-proclaimed bodyguard of Jesus had folded like a cheap tent under pressure.  He denied he even knew Jesus when challenged by a little girl.  He was so ashamed of himself for denying and deserting Jesus he cried through the night.

Then, in a moment of tender, grace-filled conversation with Jesus, Peter was restored and recommissioned back into leadership (John 21:15-19).  That’s what happens when we spend time with Jesus and that’s why my daily time with Him in His Word is so sweet.  “Throughout this Thanksgiving week, thank you Jesus for being with me and allowing me to be with You!”