ACTS 2:21

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

TO PONDER

Our reading for today is from Peter’s appeal to the gathered audience on the first Pentecost, and he is quoting from the prophet Joel (Chapter 2, vs 32). Joel was an Old Testament prophet who lived 100s of years earlier. This excerpt is from the end of a section of prophesy where Joel talks about the future outpouring of Holy Spirit on the people and the signs and wonders which will follow. Part of these signs and wonders will be judgement on those who refuse to accept God’s offer of His restoring work (salvation, if you like). But Peter (and Joel) assure the listeners that the offer of a new relationship with God is freely open to all.

But what does Peter’s instruction to “call on the name of the Lord” mean? First of all, it requires recognition that God is who He claims to be and that He is able to come to our aid. It also involves submission to the answers that God provides, trusting His love for us and that His answers to our cries are the answers we need to accept. We keep coming back to the fact that God created this vast universe and the intricate complexities of life and He knows what is best for us. Add to that, the relationship he wants to have with us is based on His sacrificial love for us, demonstrated in the life of His Son Jesus.

When we “call on the name of the Lord”, we are committing ourselves into a personal relationship with the Heavenly Family, and to be guided by that Family in how we live our lives and relate to one another. And, because we are committed to grow in that relationship, we will set aside time to hang out with the Heavenly Family to get to know them better. And we will also not be afraid to be involved in the work of the Heavenly Family, knowing that Holy Spirit is always with us to guide us in whatever we are asked to be involved in.

There is another aspect to “calling on the name of the Lord”. There is the sense of publicly declaring which team you are on – like when you go to watch a football game and you wear the colours of your team.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Family, thank You for coming to us when we call out to You. Thank You for all You have done so that we can know the way into Your family, and thank You that Jesus removed all barriers to us coming to You. Thank You now for the Guidance of Your Spirit in how to live as Your children so that our lives demonstrate Your transforming power to others, especially to those who don’t yet know You. Amen

Today's devotion write by Charles Bertelsmeier, LifeWay Epping