Hi how are you all today? I am well and loving spring in my country. This weekend we have had great weather but I haven’t yet ventured out in it much. I really like going to the beach and going on really short bush walks. What do you like doing?
This week I was reading the book of Acts, among other scriptures and was awed by Peters sermon in Solomon’s portico in Acts 3. What I saw in this sermon for the first time was Gods desire for relationship.
This was Gods primary reason for creating Adam and later forming Eve in the Garden of Eden. God wanted a people that He could talk too and fellowship with. I am sure that Gods favourite time of the day was walking and talking with Adam in the cool of the day in the garden.
Adam then sinned and broke fellowship with God. But that didn’t mean God was finished with man. Quite opposite – He had a plan and that plan was Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He restored again the pathway where man could choose to have a relationship with God. And that’s what the sermon in Acts 3 is all about.
In verse 13, Peter refers to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not a distant God but a relational God. One that knows our name and calls us His own. One that sent Jesus to restore that relationship.
Then Peter tells the crowd all the ways they broke that relationship.
- You delivered Jesus up to Pilate.
- You denied Him and all the good He had done.
- You denied the Holy One and asked for a murderer to be pardoned instead.
- You killed the Prince of Life.
But God never stops there and leaves us condemned. Like we said last week God is in the business of restoration and restoring relationship. Let’s look at verse 17, which is our out. “I know that you did it in ignorance “. But this is not where we should camp either. The journey continues.
In verse 18, Peter tells them to repent and be converted. This is our responsibility. You see God has already done everything He can to restore us to Himself so He can have relationship with us. Now it is our turn. Repent and be converted. Why? That your sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing may come from being in the presence of God and having that relationship restored. That is good news.
This is how it is done. We can now have relationship with God just as Adam did in the Garden of Eden. We can talk to God and He can talk back. This is what God desires for each human being. But ultimately it is our choice.
Will you make that choice today. I pray you will. Because living the life that God intended for you is so glorious . Let me know in the comments if you made that decision.
Bless you heaps
Karen
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