Greetings once again in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Recently, I was reading Acts chapter four and as always, each time I read it, I stopped and marveled at verse 13. This is such an incredible verse. In this chapter, Peter and the apostles were publicly interrogated by the Jerusalem Council for their preaching on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sadducees which were a part of the Council vehemently denied the resurrection and anything supernatural for that matter. They called the apostles into to question for their authority to preach.

                Peter then filled with the Holy Ghost preaches before them with great boldness. When Peter finished speaking, the people were amazed at his boldness. Verse 13 says “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge, that they had been with Jesus.” Wow! What a statement! The people, many of which were not believers, took note that these men had been with Jesus. Can people say that about you? Do they know that you have been with Jesus without you having to say anything? The more time you spend with Jesus; the more like Him you become. How much time do you spend with Jesus? Is there evidence of it in your life? Do you really spend time with Jesus every day or are your “devotions” just a routine you check of you religious duty list every day. “I did my devotions for the day…check.” I love the song which is based on this verse called have you been with Jesus. The Chorus goes, “Have you been with Jesus? Has He changed your life? Have you been with Jesus? Was He the sacrifice? You boldly proclaim His precious name, through your lives we can see the reason He came. Oh yes, we can see, you’ve been with Jesus.”

                As we close this out, I ask you again the question the song asks, Have you been with Jesus? Here we are in a new year. A new year is a new beginning, another chance to start fresh. Maybe you have been neglecting your relationship with the Lord. Maybe you’ve not been with Jesus. You say, “well, I have my devotions every day” but have you been with Jesus?  Can others tell you have been without you even having to say a word? Lets determine that this new year, 2024, we will be with Jesus.