Acts 3:1-10
Peter Heals a Lame Beggar 1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Sometimes I feel as if I have been “lame from birth,” just like the beggar at the temple gate. My lameness has never been physical, but I have definitely felt handicapped on quite a few occasions. Sometimes it’s because of relationships. Sometimes it’s because of hard life transitions. Sometimes it’s because of emotional problems. Whatever the cause, I often feel like a beggar, pleading with God to make it right. Just like the lame man sat and asked for food or money to get him through the day, I want a quick fix to my problem, just something to get me through the situation. I want my feelings for someone to go away or I want God to just SHOW me where He wants me to go and what He wants me to do, or I want God to just make the sadness go away.
It’s easy to want God to just wave his magic wand and POOF, make our problems go away. If God is so powerful, why WOULDN’T He do that? Why wouldn’t He just make me into exactly who I think He wants me to be and fix my life up a little? He is GOD, after all.
I think when we ask for just enough food to get by for the day, or for just a few pennies so that we can scrape by, God wants our attention. He wants us to know that He has so much more he wants to give us. The passage says that when the man asked Peter and John for money, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.” But what Peter gave him was not what the man expected. He did not just give him some spare change. For his entire life, this man had never been able to work and make money, due to his being crippled. He had to be carried to the gate and beg for enough to survive every day. That was his life: Barely scraping by.
God wants so much more for you than to just scrape by. He wants to free you from whatever bondage is keeping you from experiencing true joy. What this man wanted was money, but that money would have only fulfilled him for maybe a day. However, the gift that God gave him freed him up for a lifetime of joy.
Are you asking for just pennies when God wants to lavish his abundant riches upon you? Are you asking for scraps of bread when God wants to give you the Bread of Life? I know I often think too small. I want God to fix certain situations in my life, while I ignore the root of the problem. In Colossians, we read that in Christ, we have been brought to fullness. I don’t need a quick fix. I need full restoration that leads to complete joy, and that can ONLY come from Christ.
When He takes me by the right hand and helps me to my feet, I hope that I will walk and jump and praise God. I hope that people will recognize me as the screwed up sinner who used to have a habit of messing up his life, but now his life proclaims the glory of God. I hope that my restoration and redemption will fill others with wonder and amazement at what happened to me.
Acts 3:1-10
Peter Heals a Lame Beggar1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Sometimes I feel as if I have been “lame from birth,” just like the beggar at the temple gate. My lameness has never been physical, but I have definitely felt handicapped on quite a few occasions. Sometimes it’s because of relationships. Sometimes it’s because of hard life transitions. Sometimes it’s because of emotional problems. Whatever the cause, I often feel like a beggar, pleading with God to make it right. Just like the lame man sat and asked for food or money to get him through the day, I want a quick fix to my problem, just something to get me through the situation. I want my feelings for someone to go away or I want God to just SHOW me where He wants me to go and what He wants me to do, or I want God to just make the sadness go away.
It’s easy to want God to just wave his magic wand and POOF, make our problems go away. If God is so powerful, why WOULDN’T He do that? Why wouldn’t He just make me into exactly who I think He wants me to be and fix my life up a little? He is GOD, after all.
I think when we ask for just enough food to get by for the day, or for just a few pennies so that we can scrape by, God wants our attention. He wants us to know that He has so much more he wants to give us. The passage says that when the man asked Peter and John for money, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.” But what Peter gave him was not what the man expected. He did not just give him some spare change. For his entire life, this man had never been able to work and make money, due to his being crippled. He had to be carried to the gate and beg for enough to survive every day. That was his life: Barely scraping by.
God wants so much more for you than to just scrape by. He wants to free you from whatever bondage is keeping you from experiencing true joy. What this man wanted was money, but that money would have only fulfilled him for maybe a day. However, the gift that God gave him freed him up for a lifetime of joy.
Are you asking for just pennies when God wants to lavish his abundant riches upon you? Are you asking for scraps of bread when God wants to give you the Bread of Life? I know I often think too small. I want God to fix certain situations in my life, while I ignore the root of the problem. In Colossians, we read that in Christ, we have been brought to fullness. I don’t need a quick fix. I need full restoration that leads to complete joy, and that can ONLY come from Christ.
When He takes me by the right hand and helps me to my feet, I hope that I will walk and jump and praise God. I hope that people will recognize me as the screwed up sinner who used to have a habit of messing up his life, but now his life proclaims the glory of God. I hope that my restoration and redemption will fill others with wonder and amazement at what happened to me.
