The Lame Man at the Gate
There is a story in the Bible where Peter and John go to church together for prayer time, at around 3:00 in the afternoon. There is also in this story a lame man who was carried into the Temple and sat at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1-2).
Think about the lame guy for a moment. There was nothing wrong with this man in many parts of his body, because he could see, hear, touch and speak. He could move his upper body just fine. There was really only one thing wrong, he could not walk due to his crippled lower legs or feet. But that one weakness was severe enough to affect his entire life. We might say that this one problem was a whole-life problem.
He was handicapped and needed to be carried. He could not support himself, stand on his own or live life on his own. His situation had nothing to do with his character, whether he was a good man in his heart or in his motives. It had to do with having a bad problem.
His problem made his depended on other people. His problem interfered with the lives of others, being carried to a place to beg and at the end of the day he is carried back home. He could not get to where he wanted to be on his own.
Perhaps this guy felt discouraged or he had a low self-esteem. A man in this situation will feel demeaned and diminished. He is not allowed to participate in activities with other men. Perhaps he does not feel like a real man.
Maybe his physical lameness moved to his emotions and his spirit. This would mean that at the beginning his legs were lame, now he was lame.
I feel that nearly all men are in this position today. We each have a weakness that keeps us from functioning as a whole person. Most of us just deny our lameness. We also pass by others because we do not have the courage or the compassion to stop and help.
This is why I have such a heart for a ministry to men. I may not have all the answers, but my heart bleeds for men who are trapped by there own lameness, many of whom don’t realize or recognize their need.
I hope that the Men of Steel will help all of us to stop fooling ourselves. We need God’s healing power. We need His strength to be the men He has called us to be. We are lame at the gate and we need help.
The good news is that God sends people our way, right to our place at the gate. They help us understand what God has for us. Look out for that person in your life, and let him in to your circle. Remember to be aware that you may be that person to another lame man.
I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday at 7:30.
Tags: Discipleship, Following Jesus, Leadership
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
great post! very very good. its good to read the “life” behind the small amount of words we read in our bibles, to put ourselves in their shoes and to then see how God has worked in their life, blessings, fireball http://onepassiononedevotion.wordpress.com/