[Darris McNeely] I wanna start with a statement by a gentleman who had spent a whole lifetime serving God and felt God had used him in many great ways, but he made a comment near the end of his life, he said, "I wonder how much more God could have done with me or through me had I got myself out of the way."

I thought about that recently in going through the book of Acts and teaching it again to students. When the Apostle Peter made a statement in the book of Acts 11:17, as he was talking about the opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles, he had just been to the home of Cornelius in Caesarea and God had shown very clearly and dynamically to Peter that the Gentiles and all the other nations were now part of the promises to Abraham, and they could be a part of the church and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And Peter had to explain this to some of his fellow Jews back in Jerusalem. And as he recounted the whole story, he came down to this line, and he said, "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ," as the gift of the Holy Spirit, "who was I that I could withstand God?" Now Peter saw clear fruits and evidence that Cornelius and his household were full members of the Church, the gift of the Holy Spirit was upon them. Peter said, "It was there, evident in front of my eyes, who was I to withstand God?" Peter got out of the way. And he let God work through him in a very powerful way in this particular story.

And once Peter said this to his friends back in Jerusalem, they accepted it and they said, "God then has granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." Where do we stand at times that might prevent God from working in our lives or using us as an instrument and a benefit to other people in their lives? Do we withstand God by our sins, by our attitude, by our envy, by our jealousy, by our attitudes, our ambitions? What might it be that's a part of our life or nature that keeps God and His spirit from working through us to accomplish His will and purpose not only in our own lives again, but in his church, and among his disciples, and in the world at large and people that we interact with?

If we can get ourselves out of the way, if we can yield ourselves to God, if we can let God work with us and carve away some of our own human nature and let God's nature, the very nature of Jesus Christ, guide and work through us, then we're not going to be guilty of withstanding God when it comes to the works of our own lives. It's a very important lesson, I think, for a disciple to have, as we consider God acting in our lives as His disciples.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.