Acts 3:12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk?

This was in a number of ways the perfect thing for Peter to say here. He acknowledged the interest of the people, to make full use of the opportunity this was, (Colossians 4:5) but shifted the focus from himself and John to Jesus. We need to learn from this! It can be difficult to do this gracefully, but God will give wisdom to those who seek it. (James 1:5) The essential thing is personal humility and the desire that God be glorified as His will is done. We are all too prone to let our own ego get in the way, to seek glory for ourselves, and thus directly block the flow of God’s power. We care about whether we will look foolish, what people will think of us and whether they will appreciate us. That in itself is the height of foolishness! Peter was totally aware that any power manifested wasn’t his personally, but that of Christ Jesus his Lord, and we need to have that same awareness. It’s much like the revelation Paul had when he asked the Lord three times to be delivered from a “thorn in the flesh.” “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) We sometimes see the opposite of this in “Christian celebrities,” and it’s sad. The world and the devil tell us to put ourselves forward, to “get the credit we deserve,” but that is stealing the glory from God, and we must never do that. Like Peter, we must keep the focus on Jesus.

People have focused on me numbers of times over the years, and frankly, it has felt good to my flesh. I still get a kick out of remembering one time when I was interpreting for the city of Omura and the mayor introduced me as “Garrott, whom everyone knows.” The look on the faces of the out-of-town guests was amusing! It was better yesterday, when after the program several people thanked me for the accuracy and smoothness of my interpreting. I had not known ahead of time that I would be asked to interpret, but that was fine too. I want to be used by God however He pleases, but I must be careful to keep the focus on Christ, just as Peter did.

Father, thank You for the time yesterday of meeting with the group from Singapore, and particularly for the good fellowship with them and with the Japanese at the meeting. Thank You especially for how You are drawing Singaporeans, from churches large and small, to be concerned for the Gospel in Japan. I pray that this “3^rd wave” of missionaries would indeed bring Your revival to this nation, for the salvation of multitudes and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!