Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
Have you ever noticed that you start acting like the people you hang around? When I was going into the seventh grade, our teen group took a trip to Arizona to climb the Grand Canyon. I had never been around such a large group of my friends for twenty-four hours a day for that many days in a row before. I was not one to use words like “dude” or “like” before, but by the end of that ten-day trip, I found myself using “dude” and “like” for every other word. It became obvious to me, even as a seventh-grader, that I had allowed my friends to rub off on me. It would have been obvious to anyone who knew me and paid attention that I had been hanging around people who used words that I didn’t normally use. The evidence showed who I was spending the most time with.
In Acts 4, The Bible tells the story of Peter and John. The way they were acting and the things they were doing were absolute proof that they had been with Jesus. The actions and the spirit of Jesus had rubbed off on them because He was the One with whom they had chosen to spend their time. How about your life? When people look at you, can they tell that you have spent time with Jesus? Or would it be obvious to them that you have been hanging out as far away from Him as possible? Would they be able to see that you have spent time with Him reading His Word and bending your knee in prayer? Or would the evidence show that it has been quite some time since you have read the Bible or uttered a word to Him in prayer?
You see, you cannot tamper with the evidence against you. Peter and John didn’t walk around telling everyone that they had been with Jesus; people could just tell because of the way they were living. The same will hold true in your life, too. You can fake spending time with Jesus, but your actions will eventually prove whether you have been with Him or not. The best way to emulate a person is to spend lots of time with them. You will pick up on their habits, mannerisms, and speech. If you want to be like Jesus (which should be our ultimate goal), then you must spend lots of time with Him. Is it apparent to others looking at your life that you have been with Jesus?
Read also: Acts 4:5-22
Quote of the day: " The actions of men are often the best interpreters of their thoughts.” - James Joyce
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