Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Beautiful Gate.....





I love reading God's words from the Bible and I am always blessed when I do. My spirit is changed, I repent. I repent about things I had forgotten about. It's refreshing to be healed and cleansed for repentance restores our broken fellowship with God. It's turning from our own way and following HIS. It is healing and powerful to be whole and cleansed. In Acts 3 there is a true story of a place called the BEAUTIFUL GATE where people would enter the Temple at the hour of prayer. Beggars would be carried or laid there who were in need, begging for alms. [money or food] Can you imagine being so broken or in such need? I can. We have all been broken before over something. Perhaps it is something we did to another person or something another did to us. What matters though is that pain, of any kind, emotional, physical, or spiritual, can make of us a beggar.

God has an amazing merciful heart toward beggars because He wants to act on their behalf. As the story unfolds in the passage, Peter and John were entering the temple by The Beautiful Gate and a man was sitting there who had been lame from his Mother's womb. He laid daily at this gate called Beautiful to ask alms from those who entered the temple. Peter and John, strong men of faith, asked him to look at them and then Peter said something boldly that changed this beggar's life. "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk". Peter took him by the hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. He was leaping, singing, and praising God. This man who had sat at that Beautiful Gate could have never walked if John and Peter had not shared the POWER of Christ with the man. These ordinary men, who the Bible describes as uneducated and untrained simply shared what they knew to be true from their time spent with The Lord. People marveled at the Beautiful Gate most likely for sometime. Times of refreshment come from the presence of the Lord! These men of faith had brought a fresh touch. It was beautiful what they did.

 If someone comes to your beautiful door or your beautiful gate ailing in their hour of need, may I encourage you to share what you have and the love and compassion of Jesus. Both of you will change and rejoice! It's a promise! Be blessed my friend this June day!!!