Heart Meditations

Scripture- Acts 3:22-26, Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Observation – What stood out to me this morning was verse 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Application – Peter has just finished speaking about the promise that God made to Abraham.  God promised to bless all the families of the earth through his offspring.  I have always thought that this blessing was salvation, the blessing of being saved by faith just like faithful Abraham was.  And in general terms this is true, but what I noticed is that Peter specifically says the God raised up Jesus to bless us by ‘turning every one of you from your wickedness’.

Is this the blessing I want?  In recent years I wanted all kinds of blessings, a wife, children, a job, a home to live in, a car, etc.  All of these are indeed blessings but what if these are not the main blessing that God wants to pour out on my life?  And what of the single, the childless, the unemployed, the ‘between homes’, the pedestrian are they less blessed than me?

In recent months I have spent a lot of time thinking about Spiritual gifts.  I have even come to recognise clearly the way God has gifted me, this is a blessing.  But what If I didn’t have these gifts or didn’t have then in the same measure would I be less blessed?

This text says to me that the greatest blessing God can give me is to turn me from my wickedness.  It is the one thing I can not do for myself.  People marry and have children, get jobs and homes and cars all the time without God’s apparent blessing.  There are even some who seem to posses spiritual gifts that may not come from the spirit of God.  However to be turned from wickedness is a blessing that only God can give.

There was a popular gospel song a few years back about the ‘blessing of Abraham’ by Donald Lawrence.  I didn’t really like the song at the time because I was going through a legalistic stage and I looked down on people whom seemed to be preaching or singing a ‘prosperity gospel’ (plus I thought syncopation was invented by the devil :)).  I have since matured in Christ and realised that God is a generous and extravagant God who does not begrudge us material things but that these are not the only blessings He gives.   If we are honest there are many who may not experience material property in this life. He gives.  However today I can sing this song with passion and new meaning.  The blessing of Abraham that I want is to be turned from my wickedness, because of what Jesus has done it is my inhertiance!

Prayer- Father thank you for the promise you made and fulfilled to Abraham.  Thank you for your desire to bless me with that which I have not hope of doing on my own (as this mornings near miss showed).  Please turn me from my wickedness, not only wickedness of action but also of intention and even the wickedness I am currently ignorant of.  Help me to listen to the prophet you have raised up for me, Jesus.  Bless my plans today and my I be used as conduit of this blessing in the lives of others

Amen