The man in Acts 3 was lame from birth and he
begged for money every day. But actually not only him. Human beings have been striving for
money for ages. Generally money has become a god. Something that we think will
keep us survive.
When Peter and John noticed this
man begging for money, the scripture says they looked at him intently (with all
attention) and said, “Look at us!” (v.4, NASB). So the beggar fixed his
attention on them (v.5). Often, a beggar doesn’t care who gives the alms.
Because he focuses on the money, not the giver. That moment, they wanted to
tell him about what they had which was more valuable than money. But he needs
to pay attention. Because it is about Jesus Christ and His power. It is a very precious thing. And his response is crucial.
The rest was magical. He was
cured in the name of Jesus Christ. He didn’t get money at that time, but he
received The Lord Jesus who did the miracle in his heart. As Jesus once said to
a blind man, “your faith has healed you” (Mark 10:52). The once-a-lame-man followed
the apostles into the temple courts, jumping and walking, praising God (v.8). He didn’t go and find his own way after
receiving the miracle. The joy it brought was so much more than he could
express when receiving money. He received an assurance of his life.
The thing about money is, we can
never rest our lives on it. As we have more, there are always unexpected needs
require this saving. So it decreases and we get worried. On the other hand,
when we manage to keep it safely, it will never be able to guarantee a peaceful
happy life. I have seen many people died with lots of savings in their bank
accounts. Some were even young and in very healthy conditions. My pastor once
said, “It is not lots of water and exercises that give you a long life”. It’s
not in our power.
We need to pay attention and
notice what Jesus does in our lives. Otherwise we would think that everything
happens is a coincidence and lose the joy it brings when Jesus blesses us.
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