Day Two: Acts
7:44-51 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle
of the testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses commanded him
to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors in turn received
it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God
drove out before our fathers, until the days of David. He found favor in God’s
sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
But it was Solomon who built Him a house. However, the Most High does not dwell
in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says: Heaven is My throne, and
earth My footstool. What sort of house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or
what is My resting place? Did not My hand make all these things? You
stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always
resisting the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did, so do you.”
IF YOU KNOW MUCH ABOUT FOOTBALL, you probably know about
“quick slants.” For the uninitiated, a “quick slant” is a passing play where a
wide receiver runs straight ahead for about two yards, then sharply darts to
the inside of the field at a 45 degree angle. The quarterback usually takes three steps backward, and
immediately hurls the ball to the receiver just as he is beginning to make the
45 degree turn.
It is a very fast passing play that
occurs just seconds after the ball is snapped. In fact, it all occurs so fast that the quarterback has to
throw the ball before the receiver ever turns to look at the ball. The quarterback has to fully trust
that the receiver is going to run exactly two yards and cut inside at exactly a
45 degree angle.
If the receiver is off even slightly, then the ball will fall incomplete, or,
even worse, be intercepted.
So why is this important? It
demonstrates the difference between knowing something and trusting in something. It is one thing for both the receiver
and quarterback to know the play. It is another thing for the quarterback to trust the
receiver is going to be where he is supposed to be.
Notice here in our passage how Stephen
continues his sermon.
As he moves from Bible story to Bible story, mentioning various characters and
events, he acknowledges these as real, factual, historical events and people. He doesn’t merely know the stories of
the Bible; he fully trusts the truthfulness of the stories. He places complete faith in the
accuracy of all the events and lives his life in accordance with that faith. This demonstrates a complete trust of
God’s Word!
PAUSE AND REFLECT
▷▷What is the difference between knowing Bible facts and trusting
the truth of the Bible?
▷▷Why is it important to trust that the Bible is true?
▷▷Does your life show that you trust the
truth of the Bible? How can we learn to trust the Bible and apply it to our
lives?
No comments:
Post a Comment