Are you Lame?

"All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized

that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gat of the temple complex. 

So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him"  Acts 3:9-10

Are you lame?  Do you know any lame people?  I am speaking strictly from a spiritual perspective, not a physical one.  As I read the story of the healing of the lame man in Acts 3 a few days ago and have meditated on it over the days since, God has been speaking to my heart...I used to be lame....but, just as the man in this passage, I have been restored.  Please allow me to share the story with you, in case you are not able to get your Bible:

Acts 3:1-10 "Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple complex at the hour of prayer at three in the afternoon.  And a man who was lame from his mother's womb was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg from those entering the temlpe complex.  When he saw Peter and John about the enter the temple complex, he asked for help.  Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, "Look at us."  So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them.  But Peter said, "I have neither silver or gold, but what I have, I give you you; In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!" Then taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong.  So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the temple complex with them, walking, leaping and praising God.  All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple complex.  So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him."

Just like us, this man was lame from birth.  We are born into this world as sinners, with no hope.  In one way or another, we are begging from others to fill the void within us; whether we attempt to fill that void ourselves with money, relationships, drugs or alcohol - nothing will ever perfectly fill that void...until we meet Him.  Peter and John knew exactly what the lame man needed, and at some point in everyone's life, we will meet a person who can see our deepest need as well.  Christ was the answer to his problem. 

Many people, I used to be one, look at this story and see an unmet need.  Questions may arise like, yes, Salvation is the greatest gift, but what about his immediate needs: he needs to be able to eat!  When the reality hit me between the eyes - this man no longer has a need to beg, he now has the ability to go make his living as he never has before!  What a blessed gift indeed!  Christ not only cared for this mans soul, but He cared for his life as Christ gave the lame man freedom like he has never known!  But just like us, it will be up to him how he uses it.  He had to chose to get up while his ankles and feet were still lame.  It was not until he took Peter's hand to stand up that his feet and ankles gained strength.

There are so many Christians today that have been given this freeing gift, but rather than accepting the gift and growing with it, they remain in the pit of the 'known'.  It would be like this lame man - having his strong ankles and feet - telling Peter and John, "Thank you SO much!" Then sitting back down at the gate and go back to begging.  Do you know any Christians like that?  I do, I believe to some extent many of us have had a tendency to do this.  Think about it, this lame man had never walked before, and yet he was leaping! 

What have you done...are you doing with your Salvation?  Do "all the people see you walking and praising God, and recognize it to be YOU?  Are they filled with awe and astonishment at what has happened to you?"  The time has come in our lives that we must take a look at our lives and evaluate the truth of what our life is made up of, not our intentions of how we would like it to be.  What is the truth of my life as it is right now?  What do I have a God-given desire to do that I am not doing for whatever reason?  Why am I back at the Beautiful Gate begging when my ankles and feet are strong?  What will it take to get me on my feet not only walking, but leaping?

I pray you have a blessed day and the Lord will speak to you as He has to me!