Acts 4:23-37
As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Messiah.’27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
Maybe you’re better at waiting than I am. If I’ve got a few minutes, I will listen to the next chapter of my book, play a game of solitaire, look at the latest news, or check my email. My phone has become an emotional support device it seems. I wonder whether I can claim that status if I am told I must leave behind my phone in certain situations??? That’s actually pretty lame, I’ll admit. But I don’t want to waste time. (Don’t say a word about Solitaire!)
There is a quite different means by which people waste time. It has to do with ignoring the truth of God’s word, his purposes and plans, and his ways. Or worse yet, trying to thwart them. When Peter and John are freed from their imprisonment, they reported to the believers what had happened and how they had been told not to speak of Jesus anymore.
The response of the believers was to praise God, and pray to him, recalling the words of Psalm 2:1-2. Why indeed? They were angry because their fiefdom was being taken from them. They would no longer hold power over the people. They wasted their time with futile plans because they were blind to their own folly, and committed to their own destruction.
There are those who align themselves against our Lord. There are those who mock Jesus. Some people deride his teachings and ways. People want nothing of his reign and rule. They will chart their own course. They will make their own plans. Jesus is, for them, a non-factor, an interesting religious character, perhaps an example of a committed life, or a pattern of doing good to those in need. In their minds he is only one of many. They consider Buddha, Confucius, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, or even Bill Gates as more relevant to our current world.
But they are wasting their time. One day all that Jesus has taught and done, all who believe in him against all odds and every persecution, all those churches that have been dismissed as detriments to society will be vindicated. Every eye will see Jesus. He reigns over all, and his reign and rule is not to be set aside.
Next time you see evil run rampant, injustice triumph, faith ridiculed, or Jesus dismissed, pray for those folks who are only wasting their time. For evil will not win the day. Injustice will be sent to hell. Faith will be vindicated. Every knee will bow in heaven and on earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father, and the joy of all the angels and believers in heaven and on earth. Every moment spent praising Jesus, following in his ways, serving him in his kingdom is a moment that will never be wasted.
David Bahn - Reflections 
Leave a comment