Devotional on Acts

2014 – Mt Rainier National Park

When the Lord says to wait….

Acts 1: Judas must now be replaced.

The story of the resurrection doesn’t conclude the story of Jesus. This is no “and they lived happily ever after” kind of story. Now we learn about the response to the Gospel and how it, empowered by the Spirit of Jesus, begins its spread across the face of the earth. That journey, though, gets off to a rather poor start. Jesus told his followers to wait in the Upper Room for “power from on high.” Peter, though, (bless his heart) thinks that while they’re waiting they can conduct some business. He has some scripture to quote and some logic to apply as he suggests that they make good use of this waiting period to select a replacement for the fallen and now dead Judas. Criteria are laid out and people are nominated. Then, using an ancient method, they select a good man, Matthias. Since hindsight is 20/20 we know that this isn’t the Lord’s intention. Matthias, good man that he is, isn’t intended to be the replacement disciple. The criteria, as Biblical as they are, aren’t going to be applied. The man God has selected is, right now, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He’ll soon be the greatest enemy of Christ on the face of the earth. The lesson to be learned here is simple: when the Lord says to wait, just wait.

Take Away: The best of disciples must guard against running ahead of the Lord.