Daily Devotional • August 8
A Reading from Acts 4:1-12
1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, 2 much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. 3 So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the word believed, and they numbered about five thousand.
5 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are being asked how this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11 This Jesus is
‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.’
12 “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”
Meditation
As far as redemption arcs go, Peter’s is among the best in all of scripture. Let’s back up to just weeks before this encounter with the Jewish leaders: Peter shrank in fear and abandoned Jesus when pressed, thrice denying his friend. He counted the cost of following Jesus and found it too high.
Today’s story represents a total 180. Peter is bold, courageous — reckless, even — in his response to the Jewish leaders. He’s counted the cost and recognizes Jesus to be worthy of his obedience. To what can we attribute this transformation?
Peter has witnessed Jesus’ sacrifice, he has encountered the risen Lord, he has experienced the Savior’s forgiveness, and he has received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Having been so changed, Peter now fulfills Jesus’ command to heal the sick and boldly declares Him to be the “only name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”
It is one thing to do good deeds, but it takes courage for us to declare the name of Jesus. May we count the cost and, like Peter, find Him to be worthy.
Lauren Anderson-Cripps is director of communications and marketing at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and writes for a variety of publications, including The Living Church. Lauren lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Sam, and their dog, Tennessee Jed.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Ibadan North – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
Trinity Episcopal Church, Asheville, North Carolina