March 23, 2024 - Acts 4:13

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 NLT

Lord, we read all these stories in the Bible about Peter and John. It is easy for us to put them up on a pedestal and want to make them into more than what they were. We can admire things about them and think that we could never be like them and do the things that they did for you. But this verse shows us the truth. The people who saw them in person are saying they are just ordinary men. They were just ordinary men who were no different than us. They didn’t have special training or degrees. They were not “qualified” to do what you called them to do, yet the people who did have the qualifications were amazed by them. Lord, it is the second sentence in this passage that gives us the key to what made them stand out. They spent time walking with you. It was in so doing that they were transformed. Yes, they walked with you in person, but we have access to you as much as they did. You are right here with us; we just can’t see you. If we actually look at their lives, we see that it was after you left the earth that they really started making the biggest impact. You filled them with your Spirit and transformed them into the bold men we read about in Acts.

Holy Spirit, we don’t want to limit what you want to accomplish through us. Fill us and continue to transform us. We want people to recognize us as people who have been with you. Give us a boldness and authority that takes us as ordinary people and turns us into people who know that we can accomplish anything with you. Help us trust that anywhere we are lacking, you will fill the gap and provide. Make us people who walk in great faith.

In Jesus name, amen.