Initial Action: Taking Notice

Here he was at the Gate Beautiful (Acts 3:2) nestling in survival mode. Certainly thinking this is just another day. Just got to get through it, tomorrow will come and without a doubt, I will be here again, waiting and nestling in my “mode”. That sounds so familiar doesn’t? Who knows how many people walked by that day! How many noticed and how many he noticed. As matter of fact we have no way of telling without speculating and adding to the numbers as we so often do. We do not even know the mood he was in nor how much he had already collected that day. What we do know is that he was surviving with the help of those who carried him to the gate each day! Along comes Peter and John: Two freshly empowered men of God! (Who probably had no idea that God was going to use them there). Peter who had denied Christ, and John the one Jesus loved! Quite a pair wouldn’t you say? The man at the Featureless (Oops, I mean Beautiful) Gate had no idea who these two men were. They were just two men going to do the “religious” thing (him not knowing that every religious bone had been burned out of them by the Holy Spirit). He asked them for some help, financial help! Just to add we always consider financial help to be the “joy”. Isn’t that odd? Peter fixes his eyes on him! He sees him through the eyes of Christ! He sees a man who can have a breakthrough! A real spiritual breakthrough! From survival to blessed!

Peter states:

“And Peter directed his gaze intently at him, and so did John, and said, Look at us! And [the man] paid attention to them, expecting that he was going to get something from them. But Peter said, Silver and gold (money) I do not have; but what I do have, that I give to you: in [the use of] the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk! ” (Acts 3:4-6, AMP)

Take a look at being blest. Take a look at us and see just what the Lord can do! There is a different step when someone has moved from survival mode to blessed mode! He paid attention and I am sure with great detail! I wonder just how many times we pass by someone who needs to be told to look at us. On the other hand how many times have we aloud the blessing to pass us by! To be continued….

Peace

Dennis

All scriptures used in this blog are The amplified Bible, containing the amplified Old Testament and the amplified New Testament. 1987. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.