Acts 3:12-13
And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
How quick we are to attribute the good and wonderful things people do to their own power and piety. We might be quick to acknowledge that the power is not theirs, but assume they are used because of their piety. (Note this is Peter speaking and he will point out in the following verses their denial of Christ, something with which he is intimately acquainted. Peter is known for his denial, not his piety.)
Father, more to the point, I live as though it is through my power and piety that things will be accomplished for You. I feel the pressure to have and be those things, when in truth they can be mine only if You gift me with them. In that case they are Yours and not mine, I am merely the beneficiary.
You will accomplish Your work in me. The clay pot? Me. The power. You.
LHM/CHM
**3/3/20 This is one of what I hope will be a regular entry in my blog. This is a shift from what I have done in the past which has mostly been episodic accounts of things I experience in life. I may continue to post more of the same from time to time, but the drift of the blog, at least for now, will be my observations, questions, and grappling with the Bible as I read through it over the next two years with some friends. We are together following a 2 year reading schedule and meeting monthly to compare notes. Your comments are welcome and if you are interested in what the reading schedule looks like reply in comments and I will be glad to send it to you.
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