Acts 3:19-26 - God's forgiveness
Scripture:
Acts 3:19-26
19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,
21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
22 "Moses said, "THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.
23 "And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
24 "And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.
25 "It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, "AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.'
26 "For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."
NASU
Thoughts:
These verses clearly show that God had not rejected the Jews, even though collectively, they rejected Jesus. These verses really bring out the Jewishness of Christ, as well. He was appointed for them (verse 20), they were (and are) the descendants of the prophets of God's covenant (verse 25), and Jesus came, first for the Jews (verse 26).
It's always so amazing to see the forgiveness of God. The utter lack of bitterness. These are the people that opposed Him to His face, even having Him killed. Yet God is not spiteful, but reaches out to them, offering forgiveness and grace if they will repent (verse 19).
Having repented of our sins and received Christ as Savior, how wonderful it is for us to enter this time of refreshing (verse 19). To have our sins wiped away!
The Lord wanted the same for the crowd that day, and even the most violently opposed to Him, today. That is truly amazing!
Prayer:
Thank You Lord, for the refreshing I've experienced since I gave my life to You. You refreshed me not only on that day I was saved, but continue to refresh me as I lay my burdens down before You, and just in all the ways that You care for and bless me -- some of which I probably don't even realize.
Lord, as I read of Your forgiveness, I realize I'm not like this. Make me like this! I'm slow to forgive hurts I receive that don't even compare to what You've endured. Forgive me for my pride.
And thank You for Your faithfulness. Seeing Your heart toward Israel makes me even more confident of Your promises to me as a believer! And it makes me love You all the more. Who couldn't love such a wonderful God? Thank You for who You are. I give You this day and my life.
Amen
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