Good morning, friends.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 3:14, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.”
It’s a verse like today’s that makes me wish I knew someone who had been on the television show “Let’s Make A Deal.” On that show, contestants are sometimes presented with the opportunity to win a fabulous prize by choosing one of three doors they think the prize might be hidden behind. Once they announce their chosen door, the host will reveal what’s behind one of the other doors that did not conceal the prize. Then, the contestant is given the opportunity to switch the door he has chosen to the other one, or stick with his initial selection. That dilemma brings on an onslaught of suggestions hollered out from the studio audience and usually grips the contestant with anxiety and uncertainty as to whether to switch or stay. The best case scenario, obviously, is for the player to win. But when they don’t, what they are left to deal with is the regret of either switching from the correct door to the wrong one, or keeping the wrong door when switching would have brought them great reward. It’s a conundrum that a little math can help with, but for which there are no guarantees. Sometimes, the wrong decision will be made and a potential winner will go home disappointed.
And it’s that tragic sense of choosing exactly what you shouldn’t have that Peter is hammering home to his audience that day on Solomon’s Portico. During the trial of Jesus, the crowd played out the adage “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,” and asked for their convicted killer Barabbas to be released from jail rather than have this mysterious wildcard Jesus turned back out into the public square. They must have figured it was safer to deal with a criminal with a known track record than one who could raise an army from former lepers and invalids. But as ignorant as those people were, we know the truth of the gospel and still make similar decisions. We keep on doing or being when the right, better choice is clearly before us. God doesn’t hide it behind a door for us to close our eyes and hope we stumble upon it. It’s in plain view, and can be found somewhere on the pages between “In the beginning” and “Amen.” So choose wisely, choose correctly, and if that means choose differently, then do it. Do we have a deal?
As we seek Him today, search God’s wisdom for the right action, reaction, or word. Don’t play the same card you always have.
Have a super Monday. I will be out the remainder of this week and will return again next Tuesday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
