DAILY READING
REFLECTION
No One Else!
by Pr. Dave Mann
The event which precipitated the summoning of Peter and John to stand before all the religious leaders was the healing of the man lame from birth (Acts 3:1-10). One would think that such a healing would be a cause for rejoicing and praise. But no, the leaders wanted to know where the power came from – “By what power or what name did you do this?”
Lesser men may have seen this question as an opportunity to gain fame and fortune – to project themselves as the leaders of a religious personality cult – “We are the ones who did this.” And in a certain sense, such an answer would have been somewhat accurate, for they themselves had issued the command, “Rise up and walk!” But it was not their command that had the healing power. It was the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that had the power. The Name was the critical element, not the human mouth that uttered it.
The apostles proclaimed, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth … that this man stands before you healed.” In essence, these two apostles were saying, “You could have taken away Peter, you could have taken away John, and this man would still have been healed. But if you had taken away Jesus, nothing would have happened.” Salvation is found in no one else!
That’s still true today. We may appreciate our preachers. We may love those people whom God has used to inspire us to repent and to walk more closely with the Lord. But if they were not available, God could have used someone else. I can look back on my own personal history, and I can see key people that the Lord used when I was 13, 17, and 21 years old. They spoke in a way that the Holy Spirit caught my heart. I believed and my heart was warmly opened.
Whom has the Lord used to reach you? Their personality or their manner of speaking may have got your attention, but it was Jesus Christ of Nazareth who made all the difference. Salvation is found in no one else!
PRAYER PRACTICE
Heavenly Father, thank you for the people whom you used to get my attention and to point the way to Jesus. But I thank you most of all for Jesus himself, for his selfless crucifixion and for his glorious resurrection. He is now my Lord and my King. In his name, I pray and I live. Amen.
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