"Backbone"
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!” Acts 5:29
We lack backbone. We bend, compromise, give ground, sell out, and look the other direction. Society preaches a new morality, abandons long-held standards, and lives permissively. Abortions on demand, pornography, corruption in high places, and ruthless business practices abound in our country. We lack the courage to stand up and be counted. Spineless wonders!
In the first days after Pentecost the disciples of Jesus faced stiff opposition from the religious establishment. Peter and John were arrested, brought before the Sanhedrin, and told to keep quiet about their faith in Jesus Christ. They could have played it safe and gone underground. They could have compromised their convictions. But by God’s grace these apostles displayed backbone. Arrested again for preaching Christ crucified, they replied, “We must obey God rather than men!” They continued boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus. Ultimately their confession of faith cost most of them their lives as martyrs. But God used their testimony to build the church on the solid foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief Cornerstone. No spineless wonders, the apostles!
We confess our lack of backbone because of our weak, sinful flesh. He points us to His courageous Son, who endured the cross, despising the shame. With backbone He drove the money-changers out of the temple and exposed the sham of the Pharisees. Risen, He offers us forgiveness and strength to stand up for Him and obey God rather than men. Reinforced by regular use of Word and sacraments, we step forward with backbone to proclaim Jesus as Savior and Lord in today’s society. No longer spineless wonders!
PRAYER: Dear Lord God, help me to stand up for You and proclaim Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Amen.
(Devotions from “My Daily Devotion” by Dr. Stephen J. Carter, copyright 1988 CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For ordering information, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Jonah 1-4 Acts 15:1-21
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