Beauty of the Season

"Now 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 Nazorene, [rise and] walk.” Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.  He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.  When all the people saw him walking and praising God,  they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him." Acts 3:1-10 (NASB) 

This year I took up he challenge of adding the goal of reading 10 chapters of the Bible a day. Not every day have I read my Bible and not every day have I been able to get all 10 chapters read; however, to read through the Word in this manner, in large chunks changes things. The atmosphere changes. My heart changes. The Lord has time to speak. The Word is really alive and active. It gives it time to run throughout, not just sprint in and out of my daily life.

So when I read Acts this week, again, of this man sitting, every day, disabled, weak, hoping to receive something from his fellow humans. I hoped with him, felt his hunger stronger and could picture a family on their way into temple dropping off a loaf of bread. And just maybe yesterday he received two mites, but it wasn't enough to do anything with, so today he hopes for two more. Maybe enough to get him some dinner tonight, he thinks. And then he sees them--foreigners. The pull him up he stands. Never before. What sorcery? What trick? No! It's the power of God's son, Jesus. As the sight registers on faces, scrambling begins for everyone to get a seat or standing room only. "If only I can get in and get out for a touch of the healing power." 

The touch from Peter and John was just the catalyst for the man to fully understand the truth he'd been "sitting" on the whole time. All he needed was to know who He was. Beautiful. He needed the power to know that who he was in Christ was already enough. Who he was right there in the moment was who Christ needed him to be. That he was beautiful already. Beautiful.