It Will Be! But the Choice is up to Me (Acts 1:16-19)
God’s promises will be fulfilled. His word is true. It will be as God says it will be. “The Scripture had to be fulfilled” (vs. 16). Those statements are true, but consider how our life fits into the promises of God. What part do we play? How do our choices in life position us in relation to God’s promises? Are we playing on God’s side of the fence or not? The promise is a reality!

Judas. Here’s a guy that didn’t look closely at the promises of God, or consider his choices wisely. But don’t be too rough on him without taking a hard look at ourselves. Jesus chose him to take a share in his ministry (vs. 17). Aren’t we as believers also chosen to share in Jesus’ ministry, to be his witnesses, to love people like he did? Have we considered our daily choices? Are we going through religious motions or rituals without all heart or sincerity in seeking God? Or do our choices reveal apathy concerning anything related to God? For me, pretenders are harder to stomach. Maybe it’s because I struggle with authenticity at times. Pretending is a great temptation. Daily choices are hard to make, but they position us in God’s promises.

The blood price. Judas’ unbelief caused his blood to be spilt at his own hands (vs. 18-19). By faith, believers are covered with Jesus’ blood that takes away sin—Jesus paid the price. Without belief, our blood is on our own hands. Wrong choices mess up our insides. If we’ve made bad choices—figuratively hung ourselves, we can bring our messed up lives to Jesus and ‘spill our guts’ out with him, begging forgiveness, and accepting his blood to cover us, rather than buying our own field of blood to die in. Jesus has already paid the blood price for us.

God’s promises are as good as done. Jesus’ forgiveness and mercy are available for our asking. Where do we stand in God’s reality, his promise? In what portion of his ministry do we give all heart? What do our daily choices reveal? God, help us to be authentic—not pretenders, to make wise choices.

Join me in living authentic lives, making good faith-filled choices, and please help me keep to this task! I could use the assistance.

I pray, God, that you help us make a difference by being real and making choices out of belief in you.
Robin

Let’s be real. Amongst us, who is continuously authentic at anything? I’m the chief mess up; the worst I know. The only real thing I can be is a mess. Hiding my mess is my natural response. There now. I’ve confessed I am not perfect nor good enough to even get close, and I’ve been around enough other people to understand the same is true of them as well. We are all a mess, every last one of us. Even God agrees, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NLT).

God knows all things. Nothing is hidden from him. Our every thought is known by him. Therefore, we ought to pray to him confessing all that is within us, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Especially since he already knows, and we can’t hide it. God has said he loves us even with our shortcomings. John 3:16 says he loved us even before we recognized our need for his love. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (NLT). His love caused him to die for us that we might have purpose in our life. Believers ought to always pray openly and in an intimate manner.

God asks believers to gather together and it seems from this passage, verse 14, the main purpose for gathering is to lay aside self, focus on God, and worship him in prayer. Could it be the reason the church of today struggles with petty discord is that we don’t gather together to authentically pray? We don’t humble ourselves before God either personally or in our corporate prayer. We don’t really pray.

I heard a statement about marriage and prayer. The couple who prays together stays together. This is true if their prayer is authentic opening of themselves before God and each other, confessing wrongs and asking forgiveness. This doesn’t work if the only prayer request is for the likes of Aunt Edna’s ailing knee, a sort of shopping list prayer. God isn’t a heavenly department store clerk to pass out blessings requested from a list. No, he honors genuine seeking him in prayer.

Please don’t think I am saying praying for a list of sick ones, and such is wrong. What I am saying is the most effective prayer is meeting with God, being humbled in his presence, confessing unworthiness, and asking as one in complete dependence for genuine felt needs. Does the church today really pray?

I have experienced this kind of genuine, heartfelt, humbling encouraging group prayer. A gathering where each one prayed from the depths of their heart, confessing sinful attitudes and behaviors, and the desire to live in the manner causing God to smile in approval. I’ve come to understand more clearly the heart of others as together the group prayed corporately in this manner. Real prayer brings real unity. Authentic living.

For further reading on unity in prayer, examine Hebrews 10:25 (gather together), 1 Thes. 5:17 (pray continuously), Ephesians 5:21 (submit to one another).

Why don’t believers pray?