Acts 3

Three very distinctly different characters are contrasted in this chapter. Are you the man begging for alms, one of the people in the temple, or one of the apostles? I think sometimes I’m each different one.

At times, I sit before God begging for Him to help me in a way that’s really insignificant by comparison to His power. I expect when He talks to me that I’m going to get something, but I don’t ever really expect to experience the fullness of His mercy and grace. When He then gives me what He prefers for me to have it’s always so much better than what I thought I wanted. Honestly, though, I can’t say that I’m always happy about it because it’s not always easy.

Think about the beggar in this situation. He’s a grown man now, and he’s been lame from birth. He’s never had a job. He’s never learned a trade. He’s only ever made a living from begging, and that only worked because he was lame. Now he can walk. He can get a job. No one is going to give him money anymore because he’s not lame anymore, but they also may not give him a job. I’m not saying that God didn’t know what he was doing or that Peter and John did this man a disservice. I’m just saying that sometimes when I’m in that same situation, I get upset and ask God, “Why couldn’t You have just given me the money? Wouldn’t that have been easier?” I think God usually answers, “Yes, it would have been easier for you, but not better.”

Other times, I sit on the sidelines and I watch God working through His people, and I wonder why I’m not connected to that. I’m not talking about some guy that flies up to your local convention center from his private island in the Caribbean to heal people on stage for the low, low price of $4,995….if you call now, God might even give you a discount while He’s blessing you for funding this “ministry.” I’m talking about genuine working of the Holy Spirit; genuine outpourings of love. The Jews got a little reprieve from Peter because they did not know any better, but what about me? I do know better, but sometimes I just choose not to get involved. It’s just easier.

Finally, there are the really cool times. The times when I choose to turn away from the easier path of the first two characters and I walk in the shoes of the apostles. It’s not easy to look at someone and tell them that you can’t give them what they want, but you can give them something completely unexpected. It’s not easy to stand in front of a group of people and challenge their core beliefs. It’s not easy to be one of the apostles, but isn’t it cool to expect the full extent of God’s power and to be open to the direction of God in your life?