Category: Faith

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The Beggar

“Peter and John were going up to the temple at three o’clock in the afternoon, the established prayer time. Meanwhile, a man crippled since birth was being carried in. Every day, people would place him at the temple gate known as the Beautiful Gate so he could ask for money from those entering the temple. […] Peter said, “I don’t have any money, but I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up and walk!”. Then he grasped the man’s right hand and raised him up. At once his feet and ankles became strong.”

Acts 3: 1-2,6-7 (Common English Bible)

Peter did not have any money, but he gave him something far more valuable. Most of us would want money, worldly things. Peter let Jesus flow through him and gave the beggar something far more powerful.

I read this verse several times before I interpreted it that way. Not because I was looking to interpret this particular verse a certain way, but because sometimes there are multiple ways that things can be read.

The beggar had something that he wanted (money), which I feel is pretty normal. We all have an income, and our incomes allows us to have the lifestyles that we have.

What struck me about that verse eventually after I read it a few times is that the beggar didn’t get what he probably initially wanted (money), but God was able to provide him with something far greater than money, the ability to walk. And the beggar can do far more and have a lot bigger influence with the ability to walk than he could have had if he’d gotten what he initially wanted. He didn’t get what he wanted initially, but his life was far better off for it.

Which leads me to this:

Not getting what we want may not look like the greatest thing at the time, and it may not be the greatest thing at the time, but sometimes not getting what we thought we wanted can be one of the best things to happen to us. I can say that that is definitely true for me. There are a lot of things that I wanted (or thought that I wanted) that I haven’t gotten, and God has turned what I thought were failures into far better things than I ever could have imagined for myself.

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On Why It’s Not Good To Be Alone

One of my favorite verses goes like this:

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either should fall, one can pick up the other. But how miserable are those who fall and don’t have a companion to help them up! Also, if two lie down together, they can stay warm. But how can anyone stay warm alone? Also, one can be overpowered, but two together can put up resistance. A three-ply cord doesn’t easily snap.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 CEB (Common English Bible)

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On Failure and Hard Times

There are a few verses in Luke, one of the Gospels, that go like this:

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything”?

“Nothing,” they answered. — Luke 22:31-35

This is only 5 verses, a lot can be taken from it. Jesus knew Peter would deny that he knew Him three times that day. But that didn’t change how Jesus saw Peter. Jesus also was making a point to the disciples that Jesus will provide everything that they need, and that they shouldn’t focus on worldly things.

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Perseverence

Sometimes things that we don’t expect happen to us. After all, that’s a big part of life. And life is unpredictable.

Something was said to me earlier today actually that fits very well in situations where life throws you a curveball. It’s good to remember even when you feel like everything is going just fine. Really, it should be a “go-to” mindset, for any situation and for life in general.

God doesn’t want us to know what our next step is going to be. God wants us to take that first step by surrendering our situation to Him. And when we surrender to Him, that’s when He can lead us, in His timing, to the best that He has for us.

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On Fear of the Unknown

We all struggle with fear of the unknown to a degree. It’s easy to worry, to stress, to think about all the little things in your life that could happen or go wrong. It’s normal to be worried or stressed, so long as that stress is at a healthy level. When you’re overthinking, your brain goes in 1,000 different directions and it does nothing but stress you out. The scenarios you think about become speculation rather than things that might actually happen. Just because of my personality, I overthink things more than I should. So I’m more than familiar with what it’s like to conjecture about all of the things that could go wrong in your life.

But the problem with fear of the unknown (and a big problem of overthinking too) that I’ve realized is that we nearly always place far too much emphasis on the negative things. Rarely, if ever, do we focus on the positives. And you only can realize that when you’re not in a mode of overthinking. But then when something bad happens to us or we’ve hit some kind of a setback, it goes completely out the window and we start stressing all over again.

In any tough situation, we forget about the positive things that are already in our lives. Our family, our friends, our activities and hobbies that we enjoy. Your job that even if it’s not your favorite allows you to earn an income and provide for yourself and allows you the opportunity to spend time with your friends and your family.

You may be worried about the future, but what if you also feel like you’re not where you want to be? Maybe you don’t like your job. Maybe you don’t have a job and you’re looking for one. Maybe you don’t like where you live. Or perhaps there’s another situation in your life where you know you’re not where you want to be.

The reality is that we find ourselves in those types of situations a lot, myself included. Big things and small things, there are always areas where we can and need to improve or do better. But when these kinds of thoughts start running through our heads, we often feel isolated. This is one of the key tactics that the enemy uses to attack us. The enemy wants us to feel isolated, alone, and powerless. And fear of the unknown and the uncertainty that comes with life in general, especially when trying to plan for the future, can definitely make us feel alone. But we have to remember that we’re not alone, and we’re not powerless. The enemy wants to make us think that we’re alone, but we can’t believe the enemy’s lies. Because lies are all the enemy has. And by definition, lies are not true.

So when we’re overthinking, what do we do?

When you’re facing a lot of uncertainty, it’s hard to remember that you’re not alone. But God is always with us. One verse that always sticks out to me any time I’m overthinking things and then sit back and reflect is Jeremiah 29:11

“For I am conscious of my thoughts about you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope at the end.” Jeremiah 29:11 BBE

Thoughts of peace. Thoughts that will give us hope. No matter the situation we’re in.

“Yes, though I go through the valley of deep shade, I will have no fear of evil; for you are with me, your rod and your support are my comfort” Psalm 23:4 BBE

God is always with you.

Hopefully these verses encourage you as much as they encourage me when I’m in a situation where I’m facing a lot of uncertainty.