The Lost Ring
Acts Chapter 2
Scripture= Acts 2:22, 23, 36
22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Observations and Applications=
Were you ever given something of value from a grandparent or a parent that was to be passed down to your children as well? I was given a ring by my Father when I was about 11 or 12 years of age. It was a special ring that was my Fathers and had ties to my Grandfather. This ring was silver and looked like a small belt with a buckle on it. I thought it was really cool but what made it extra special was the fact that my dad was entrusting it to me. I could tell by the way my Dad talked about the ring that it was very special to him and I knew when he told me to be careful where I wore the ring that I was not supposed to lose that ring…ever! I knew to lose that ring would make my Dad sad and that he would be very disappointed with me! My Father told me that his ring could become something special that I would also give to my son.
Well, I am sure you have figured it out by now that I LOST the RING!!! I lost it right away. I was not used to wearing rings so I must have wore it somewhere I shouldn’t have and it fell off or I simply took it off and left it somewhere. The sad thing is that I never even realized what I had done until my Dad asked me about the ring! I had been given a trust and I had seen in my Father’s face and heard in his voice how valuable it was to him and I had LOST the RING! I had taken one of my Father’s prized possessions and I had lost it!
In Acts chapter 2 Peter is speaking to his Jewish kinsmen and he told them that God the Father had given them Jesus and had showed them how valuable Jesus was to Him by endorsing him through miracles and other signs. The Father had given them specific proof of Jesus’ identity and had even spoken from heaven his approval and instead of believing in Jesus, the people helped the wicked leaders of Israel put Jesus to death on a cross. These were the same people who had been screaming “give us Barabbas” and were yelling about Jesus, “Crucify him.” They had been trusted to receive God’s only Son and instead of believing in him they had killed him (see Luke 20:9-19). This Jesus who they crucified was their Messiah the one promised to their ancestors, to them and to their heirs and they missed it! It is awesome to see God the Father give them another chance to believe. This time 3,000 of them repented of their actions and believed in their Messiah.
Today, let’s make sure that we receive all that our loving heavenly Father is giving to us. We can’t misuse or misplace the gifts that God has placed in our hands. It can be so easy to take Jesus for granted and not honor him with our time and our obedience. We don’t want to miss recognizing the moves of God that come through the circumstances and the people that God has placed in our life. We want to treasure the Father's most precious gift.
Prayer= Lord Jesus, help me to see you and recognize you for who you are. Help me to follow hard after you and your will today. Forgive me for taking you for granted and not expressing my gratitude for my salvation and my relationship with you. Jesus, you are my Savior and my Lord. You Are the CHRIST, the Son of the Living God!
