Sun 9:30a Class; 10:30a Worship; 11:35a Communion
Bible Bites
The Blessing of Turning
“For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:26)
Jesus was sent to the Jewish nation first, a blessing who came in an unexpected package. Jesus’ life didn’t embody the power and prestige that the average Hebrew expected. They were looking for a king, and Jesus arrived a carpenter. The appearance of Jesus wasn’t the only thing they struggled with – they also had a hard time stomaching the message. The message was that He would bless them by turning them from their wickedness. They didn’t think they needed to change, and they didn’t think they were wicked.
We struggle with the same thing. The blessing of “turning” is the blessing of the opportunity to repent and be transformed into what God intends for us to be. However, we often are less excited about Him remodeling our lives than we ought to be. We want God to make some minor adjustments and tweaks to our life and then shower us with blessings for our limited alterations. But that really isn’t what God is planning for our lives. He turns fishermen into evangelists and shepherds into national leaders. God rarely makes small moves. He is interested in a full rebuild of your life, not a tiny facelift on Sundays.
It is a blessing that God sent His son to turn us from our wicked ways to a new path, but we must be open to that new path and recognize it as the gift it is. Your work in the kingdom will likely require you to dump your dreams so that He can implement His.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
