Rise Up and Walk!

I landed in Acts 3, verses 1-10 this morning. This story never really caught my attention before, but those ten verses really show how the Holy Spirit changes someone and works through us. Shortly after Jesus' ascension into heaven and the Holy Spirit coming to dwell on Earth with us, you see Peter and John on their way to the temple in the afternoon to pray. At the gate, a man that spent his whole life lame, laid at the gate asking for money. Peter makes eye contact with the guy. 

Acts 3:1-10 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." 

The first thing that stood out to me here is that this is the same Peter who not long before this encounter, had denied Christ. But, here in Acts chapter three, after receiving the Holy Spirit, the same Peter who denied Christ was performing a miracle he had watched Jesus himself perform, not long before this. It reminded me the power of the Holy Spirit that's inside me, and the power of Jesus' name. I get so comfortable ending my prayers in “Jesus name” and say it so often I unintentionally become numb to how powerful His name is. I often view myself as "old Peter" instead of seeing myself like the Peter we see here in chapter 3. He is completely changed. Confident, bold, and looking so much more like Jesus than old Peter. With the help of the Holy Spirit inside of me, I hope to display this same boldness and confidence in the power of my Savior. 

Lastly, I also relate with the lame man at the gate. He has spent his whole life unable to walk and stuck in his bad circumstance. The best case scenario he saw at the gate that day was getting some pocket change from Peter and John. God had so much more for him than the money he asked for. Working through Peter, He showed the power of His Holy Spirit though an ordinary man. He provided a Jesus sized miracle through Peter. 

Being so used to his bad circumstance, he probably didn't fathom the possibility of walking when he was asking for money. God provided so much more than he asked for. These ten verses gave me encouragement today and maybe it will for you too. Reminding us that God often has so much more planned for us than the pocket change we ask for. 

My prayer is that God will move in such a powerful way in my own circumstances, that every person who witnesses what He’s doing in my life will be like the people at the temple, looking at the power of His miracles in wonder and amazement.