Stopping God
‘It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, then, to try to stop God!’ When they heard this, they stopped their criticism and praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given to the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live!’ (verses 17,18)
Read Acts 11:1-18
I do it whenever I don’t welcome someone new to my congregation. I do it whenever I let petty grudges come between me and another Christian. I do it whenever I refuse to associate with Christians from other denominations. I do it whenever I let my personal beliefs prevent me from acting lovingly towards others. I do it whenever I am too timid to tell others about my faith in the workplace. I stop God.
Peter, when he returned to Jerusalem after spending some time with Gentile Christians, had to explain to the Jewish believers how it was that all people were acceptable to God. They took some convincing. But the clincher was that it was God’s idea. They found that their original objections had been stopping God from doing what he wanted. They knew that you can’t stop God. So they stopped their criticism.
You can rest assured that you are not stopping God when you try to be a conduit of his love rather than a critic of his will.
Dear God, give me the openness and love that accepts all others to the faith, whatever their background or former convictions. Amen.
by Richard Hauser, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)
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