May 6

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”  —ACTS 4:13

At the time of Jesus’ arrest and trial, the disciples were cowardly and fearful men. Judas had betrayed Jesus and hung himself from a tree. Peter had denied three times that he even knew Jesus. All of them had fled in fear and hid out in closed quarters. 

A few weeks later, after Pentecost, Jewish authorities were astonished by their sudden courage and boldness. What had changed them? The only explanation they could come up with was that these men had been with Jesus. They were nearly right, but not quite. It wasn’t a case of being with Jesus and something of Him had rubbed off on them. What the authorities saw was Jesus in them, demonstrating what He had demonstrated Himself as a man on earth.

Peter, who so often said the wrong thing, now says the right things and with authority and conviction. He is even thrown into prison with John but doesn’t panic. After being released, they were ordered before the Sanhedrin Council again and commanded not to teach or even speak in the name of Jesus. Both Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). Unafraid, they disregarded the command, and continued to turn Jerusalem upside down with the Gospel. The difference in them was the Holy Spirit indwelling them and living the resurrected life of Jesus through them.

Things happen when we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It’s no longer about us. It’s about God. It’s about Jesus Christ, and what His death and resurrection mean to us. It’s about our relationship with others and how we can improve them. The secular things of this world lose their appeal and it’s the things of God that have our interest. Where we once opened the Bible, hoping to find a verse or two to help us through a rough time, we now open it to know more of God and His righteousness.

The work of the Holy Spirit begins on the inside, aligning our hearts and minds with God. It is a work in progress, and eventually we’ll reach a point where, like Peter and John, we cannot help but speak of God. That’s Jesus transforming our lives.

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, how grateful I am for the transforming work You’ve done in my life. You are amazing and with all my heart, I thank You.

TO REFLECT UPON: In which areas of my life do I notice the transforming work of Christ the most?