Obey God not Man!

"Better for us to obey God than man!" Acts 5:29

The apostles continued to defy the orders of the high priest and persistently preached about the risen Jesus. Even when they were thrown in jail and flogged, they refused to stop going to Temple and teaching, and showing how the Scriptures pointed to Jesus. "We must obey God rather than man!" Peter and the apostles said. "We are witnesses. We testify that all we are saying is true!" And they each one rejoiced that God had counted them worthy to be flogged and to suffer for Jesus' name. 

I am so different from the apostles. Any little discomfort or inconvenience and I shy away from proclaiming the Gospel. I'm tired, I'm too sleepy, I'm busy, my schedule is full, they are not going  to listen anyway, they might think I'm crazy, uncool, different. But is it about me? The world needs to hear Jesus' message. How many people need hope, peace that defies understanding, real love, not the counterfeits the world offers? How many people reject the very relationship with God that would bring them to wholeness and fullness of life? 

Lord, may I be more like Your disciples who obeyed and followed You. Today, we won't be flogged or thrown in jail, but there are still powerful forces that keep us from obeying You. Help us to be victorious and to know the rich rewards of obeying You!