Acts 3.1,2 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.
Here is the account of a man that had an ugly condition in a beautiful place. Peter and John were going to the temple to pray when they encountered a man who was lame from birth. That lameness limited this man’s ability to function as a whole person. That lame man was only looking for a handout of money. But God had something far more for him.
The apostles represent the power and love of God. The lame man represents you and me. The Beautiful Gate represents the church. How many times do we find ourselves in an ugly condition in a beautiful place?
I want you and I to understand that like this lame man God usually has more for us than we expect to get from Him. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think. He is able by the power that is in the Name of Jesus to turn your ugly condition into a miracle of His glory.
When you go to your local church service, are you only going to hear a message, or are you going to worship the living Risen Christ and be touched and transformed by His resurrection power?
I want you on this Lord’s day to take that ugly relationship, that ugly habit, that ugly attitude to that beautiful place and ask The Lord to reach out and make you whole. The local church is the place where sinners with ugly conditions meet in a beautiful place to worship and encounter a glorious, miracle-working Jesus! Don’t just “go to church” this Lord’s Day, go and trust Him Who makes all things beautiful in His time to touch that ugly spot this week.
