This Jesus Christ

"[L]et it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole."

--Acts 4:10  (NKJV)

From the daily Bible reading on February 18, 2013 of Psalm 36; Acts 4:1-31; Leviticus 1-3.

Peter and John healed a man at the temple gate who had been lame since birth.  They performed this healing in the name of Jesus, and in so doing invoked the ire of the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, the Jewish leadership, which took them into custody to question and threaten them.  Peter freely confessed that he and John acted in the name of Jesus, and made it quite clear which Jesus they meant: the One from Nazareth, the One they crucified, the One God raised from the dead.  By that Jesus was this lame man healed and made whole.

Like Paul would later declare in his letter to the church in Rome (please see Romans 1:16), Peter and John were certainly not ashamed of the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ.  They wanted to make that well known to all the Jewish leaders gathered there against them and to all the children of Israel across the land.  What a great risk they took for Jesus, in that He had just recently been put to death by these same leaders; what a great stand they made for our Lord.  Would we be willing to take the same risk, the same stand?  Would we be willing to act in the name of Jesus and make it known to all the world?  Or do we fear public persecution or humiliation?  Peter and John didn't even fear torture or death, when they stood for Jesus.  I pray we would be as strong in our faith as they.   Amen.

Lord Jesus, please forgive us when we fail to take a stand in Your name.  We are reserved and timid.  We fear what others may say or how they may treat us if we declare Your glory out loud.  Please give us the strength of faith and the conviction of our belief to go out in Your name, no matter the earthly consequence, assured in our heavenly reward.  In Your name, Jesus, we pray.  Amen.