We Must Obey God Rather Than Any Human Authority

But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed Him by hanging Him on a cross. Then God put Him in the place of honor at His right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey Him." Acts 5:29-32

Model of the Temple in Jerusalem

Portico is the columned area behind the main Temple buildings.

Peter and the other apostles had been teaching, doing signs and wonders, in the portico area of the Temple. Many people were healed of sickness and of unclean spirits. A multitude of people began to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. All this made the Jewish high priest and the Sadducees jealous so they had the apostles thrown into prison.  But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and told them to go teach in the Temple, so they did. When confronted by the Jewish religious official they replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. ….” Obedience to God shows the highest respect and is best response to any command that God gives. Jesus is our example of that. Jesus is pure and sinless…qualities that we will never attain, but we can do one thing that Jesus never had to do: repent. He was sinless. To repent means to turn away from our sin—to seek forgiveness. God calls mankind to repent. Obedience leads to a right relationship with God the Father, with His Son, Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit. Relationship with God is what is important in life—here and now, and for the future. How is your relationship with God, today?

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, help us to be obedient as You were. We may not be healing people like Peter and the other apostles did. We may not be teaching other in a way that brings multitudes to saving faith in You, but even if we bring one…that is miraculous. Help us to see ways to be obedient to You, God, that others would indeed seek to know You as we do—and to love You as we do.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 25-27

© 2017 Text and photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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