Book of Acts 3:1-10
Peter and John were
going up to the temple area
for the three
o’clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled
from birth was carried and placed at the
gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms
from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter
and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked
intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at
us.”
He paid attention
to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have
neither silver nor gold, but what I do have
I give you: in the name of
Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
This morning as I stepped out of the shower I slipped on the wet tile floor and landed on my buttocks. I cursed as I laid motionless on my back. My rear and tail bone hurt so bad that a wave of nausea came over me. Oh no! Will I be able to get up? This hurts like !@#$. I hope I didn't break something.... Ten minutes later I was able to stand up. I looked in the mirror and saw a large red spot and broken skin. I usually bruise like a Chiquita banana, so the wound should be even more colorful as the day passes. Yikes!
I felt crippled! I considered calling in sick so I could lay in bed and lick my wounds, metaphorically speaking. However, too much work awaited me at the office.
Take a couple of Aleve, head off to my job, and try not to think about the throbbing pain and soreness....
I reflect on the man crippled from birth who sits at the "Beautiful Gate." He can't walk much less live a normal life. He's probably begged for alms in front of this gate for years. People pass by him without a care in the world. He's deformed, defective, and diseased. One of his ancestors must have disobeyed the Lord which caused this man to become a pitiful wretch. However, Peter and John just so happen to be heading to the temple for mid-afternoon prayer. They saw a person in need of healing. He was the perfect candidate for one of the Apostles' first miracles. Once cured, now the beggar can re-enter normal society, spreading the message of Christianity to all who will hear.
We may not born crippled, or even injure ourselves in an accident, but our minds become crippled by self-defeating thoughts:
I will never succeed! I will always be a weirdo! I will always be a reject! I will never amount to anything!
Let's rewind and erase the negative thoughts, shall we? Arise to the Lord's challenge! Allow God to work his miracles within our souls, healing our inner wounds so we are not so quick at criticizing ourselves. We all have faults. We are imperfect creatures. However, we are still formed in the image and likeness of God.
Days like today I can easily get myself into a pitiful state, moaning and groaning about how badly I hurt! However, I choose to endure the discomfort and keep up my good spirits! I'm sure the poor beggar hurt, too. He hoped (and prayed) for a few silver and gold coins never expecting in a thousand years that two of Christ's disciples would permanently heal him!
Arise, believe and be healed!
-J.
I felt crippled! I considered calling in sick so I could lay in bed and lick my wounds, metaphorically speaking. However, too much work awaited me at the office.
Take a couple of Aleve, head off to my job, and try not to think about the throbbing pain and soreness....
I reflect on the man crippled from birth who sits at the "Beautiful Gate." He can't walk much less live a normal life. He's probably begged for alms in front of this gate for years. People pass by him without a care in the world. He's deformed, defective, and diseased. One of his ancestors must have disobeyed the Lord which caused this man to become a pitiful wretch. However, Peter and John just so happen to be heading to the temple for mid-afternoon prayer. They saw a person in need of healing. He was the perfect candidate for one of the Apostles' first miracles. Once cured, now the beggar can re-enter normal society, spreading the message of Christianity to all who will hear.
We may not born crippled, or even injure ourselves in an accident, but our minds become crippled by self-defeating thoughts:
I will never succeed! I will always be a weirdo! I will always be a reject! I will never amount to anything!
Let's rewind and erase the negative thoughts, shall we? Arise to the Lord's challenge! Allow God to work his miracles within our souls, healing our inner wounds so we are not so quick at criticizing ourselves. We all have faults. We are imperfect creatures. However, we are still formed in the image and likeness of God.
Days like today I can easily get myself into a pitiful state, moaning and groaning about how badly I hurt! However, I choose to endure the discomfort and keep up my good spirits! I'm sure the poor beggar hurt, too. He hoped (and prayed) for a few silver and gold coins never expecting in a thousand years that two of Christ's disciples would permanently heal him!
Arise, believe and be healed!
-J.
No comments:
Post a Comment