A Trusted Source

In Acts chapter 11 Peter is called to account for his ministry among the Gentiles. He retells the story of the sheet of animals laid before him and a "voice" who instructed him not to call common or unclean what God has cleansed.

As I read this, I was in amazement that those who were listening to him did not question that what he heard was from God. Today we are quick to answer anyone who says God told them to do something with the question of "How did you know it was God who lead you this way?"

I was speaking to a friend and brother in Christ this weekend, and his response to my query was that these days we have much reason to wonder whether someone has actually heard from God or not. As I have thought on this further, I have come up with two application points.

The first is this, we must not be quick to judge what someone claims God told them to do based on its unusualness (is that a word?). God moves in ways we could never expect, and we need to be prepared to celebrate God's leading and help people learn to trust His voice without the common skepticism in our midst.

Second, we need to be examples of the trusted source. Peter was not just someone who came along and decided to preach to the Gentiles on his own accord, nor did he come from the shadows and expect that everyone should trust him. He had earned that level of trust, and God used him as His mouth-piece. If we are to be trusted, we must build in our lives a character that listens and obeys God's voice every time, and then those around us will know that it is God's voice who we follow. And by the way, Peter was not without fault, which proves we can start now, even if we've messed up majorly in the past. Praise be to God who makes all things new!

(Oh, and for those who read the previous post, God has blessed me with a car and agreeable financing. He fought for me through the gentleman who found the right car for me. He (God) is my provider and Lord!)