“Just Give What You Have”
He sat there every day watching
everyone enjoy their lives, thinking of all the endless possibilities that were
at their fingertips. He probably
imagined what it would be like to be like them, able to go about their days
without a care in the world; being able to do whatever their little hearts
desired. We can only imagine what it
must have been like for him, having to be carried everywhere he went; at the mercy of anyone who would be willing
to offer him just a little bit of help, just a little bit on money to ensure
that his somewhat pointless existence would continue. You see, he never knew what it was like to
walk around the market place, or to run up the steps of the Temple to go to
worship. In fact, he would never be able
to experience what it felt like to simply stand on his own two feet. He was lame and had been since birth. His parents never got to experience the
excitement of watching him take his first steps. It seems very possible that he considers
himself a burden to the world, living off the sympathetic gold or silver coin
that some would toss into his basket. We
are not told how many days, weeks or months he had been placed there at the
Gate called Beautiful. However, we are
told what extraordinary thing happened on this day. Today begins just like any other day; repeating
the scripted plea he had been repeating for so may years “Alms, alms to feed
the poor beggar… Please no amount is to small…Please…Please…have mercy on me
and help me!” It just so happens that
today, he asked the right person:
“Seeing Peter and
John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed
his gaze at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." And he fixed
his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter
said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" And he took him by
the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made
strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with
them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking
and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate
of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement
at what had happened to him. While he clung to Peter and John, all the people,
utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's.” (Acts 3:3-11)
We all encounter people like this
lame beggar in our lives, asking for money, for help, for food. It is very easy to get burdened down with
their constant asking. Our minds begin
to wonder what types of bad choices they must have made that placed them in
their current situation. We begin to
rationalize that if we give them money or food, we have in some way enabled
them to be content with their current situation. We feel for a moment a sense of sympathy, yet
that feeling is quickly overtaken by a sense of awkwardness and
uncomfortableness. “What do they really expect
me do? I don’t have money to just throw around.
If they really want to change, why don’t they just get a job?”, are all
thoughts we may have expressed. So, to
ease our conscience we offer some small token of a donation. Did it every occur to you that maybe God
placed this person in your path for something other than money? Maybe God placed this person in your life
because the one thing they really need isn’t something that can be helped with
money? Maybe they are looking for
something that can offer them a way out of their situation, a hope for a better
life? Maybe what they are really looking
for is a life that is filled with purpose, satisfaction, and fulfillment? Maybe they need the one thing that you have
that can alter, not just their life, but their eternity? May God placed them in you path so that you
could introduce them to …JESUS! The
next time God places someone in your path like this lame man, before you open
your wallet or your purse…try opening your heart and share Christ. That really is the only thing they need.
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