"IN THE RUT"!

Acts 4:11-13           (KJV)
"11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, THEY MARVELLED; and they took knowledge of them, THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS."

The world-appointed time to celebrate the CHRISTmas season has passed.  It is time to get back to the day-to-day grind of making a living and living "in the rut" where place ourselves. While reading in Acts 4 last evening, I wondered if Peter and John knew the time for celebration was over?  Shouldn't they be going back to their jobs and getting back to the routine that the world had become accustomed to?

I recently observed a message from a friend noting that a lot of depression comes right after the holidays. I thought about that for a time, and I found myself falling dangerously close to being "in the rut"!

Peter, John, and others had a PRESENCE about them that set them apart from others.  Verse 13 concludes with "they marvelled; and took knowledge of them, that they had been with JESUS"!  Peter and John were uneducated, unrefined men, per society's standards.
The upper echelon of society (Sadducees and the like) did not like that they were preaching salvation, and healing people, in the name of the man they thought they had exterminated!  It wasn't the authoritative Romans who were upset, rather the Upper Crust Jews who were satisfied with living "in the rut".  The lower class Jews, the more humble servants, were busy healing people and serving their neighbors get "out of the rut"!

Today, there can be an eerily similar display of hierarchy going on. We tend to be so busy making a living and staying "in the rut", that we allow needs to go unmet because we are too busy. Like Peter and John, I am not a formally educated person.  But I have BEEN WITH JESUS and I find that is enough to ease the depression bug. When you focus on yourself and your problems, depression flourished.  When you focus on how blessed you are and serving other peoples needs, you tend to starve depression. Getting out of the rut is the first step to avoiding the pity party. Think about others.