Unstoppable! 'Who Was I to Stand in God's Way?' — Acts 11:15-17

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Merry Christmas!

We pray the Lord blesses you with the grace of Jesus' presence this Christmas!

 Read More

[Peter explained why he baptized Cornelius and those with him:] "The Holy Spirit fell on them... Then I thought of the Lord's words when he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God's way?"

— Acts 11:15-17 NLT

Key Thought

God orchestrated many divinely guided events — visions, angels, messengers, direct commands — to make as clear as possible that Cornelius and his household, all Gentiles, were to be included in his family of faith. Luke wanted to be certain that his readers get the message also: He told the events twice, once in chapter 10 and then again in chapter 11 as Peter recounted the events for the apostles and other believers in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1-4). The coming of the Holy Spirit was the final and convincing testimony of heaven that Cornelius, his relatives, and his friends were to be included in the Christian family and should be baptized (Acts 10:44-47). Peter wasn't about to stand in the way of God!

Today's Prayer

Father, forgive us — forgive me — when we stand in the way of your release of grace, love, and mercy because you pour out those blessings on people we don't expect to be worthy of them or ready for them. Tune our hearts to see your work among people we could never imagine coming to follow Jesus. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-49
  • Galatians 3:26-29

Comments

Archived Facebook Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Tuesday, June 25, 2024

A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
''Rubber Meets the Road' Discipleship'
"Dear Beloved, I know that believing in Me is not always easy or natural. So I want to remind you of My half-brother James. My apostle James had been...."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Paul's Call' (Ga. 1:16-2:10)
"Dear Father, Thank you for calling Saul of Tarsus to be your apostle to the non-Jews, and for making him known to us with his new name, Paul. Thank....."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Matthew 6:25
"[Jesus taught his disciples, saying:] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear......"
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Isaiah 40:9
"Our knowledge of Christ is somewhat like climbing one of our Welsh mountains. When you are at the base you see but little: the mountain itself appears..."

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 11:15-17 NLT — [Peter explained why he baptized Cornelius and those with him:] "The Holy Spirit fell on them... Then I thought of the Lord's words when he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God's way?"

About This Devotional

Unstoppable! is a one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage, a reflection and a prayer. The reflection opens up the day's scripture and shows how it challenges one to live for Jesus.

Unstoppable! is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More Unstoppable!