January 21, 2012

Acts 11:1-18 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:
Matthew 7:12-20, Psalm 17:6-15, Genesis 34-35

Journal Entry

Scripture

8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’

Observation

In this passage, we see Peter defending his decision to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles from those who thought that the Gentiles were somehow unworthy or incapable of fully accepting it. Peter describes a vision from God in which he is commanded to eat from a bounty that is decidedly unclean in the Jewish tradition. When Peter protests, God chides him regarding his stubbornness and tells Peter that whatever He chooses to make clean is clean. Peter sees this as a confirmation that everyone is worthy of God's gift of salvation.

Application

Tradition plays an important part of our lives and it is a great tool that helps us pass along the principles of what we believe in. However, mindless adherence to tradition coupled with our own myopic interpretations of God's will can lead us to be incredibly destructive instead of life-affirming. We must realize that while God works in and through our lives, His purposes are still greater than our own and trying to limit them only serves to limit what we can do in His name. Peter is called to push aside his prejudices and see the big picture: God loves all of His creation. We should approach everything we do with that mindset and challenge ourselves daily to explore the boundaries of our comfort zones.

Prayer

Father, I pray that I do not throw away your gifts as a result of my own limited vision but fully embrace whatever tasks you have called me to with joy at knowing that I am establishing your Kingdom here on earth.

--Charlie Jang