Joyful Ruins

Acts 14:8-10

 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

Here we see a lame man, treated poorly by his society, overlooked, probably unloved by most, and I would imagine in a constant sate of hopelessness and discouragement.

I think it’s important that it is said he has been lame since birth, he has never walked. Now we have a fuller picture of this man’s live and probably state of mind. How could he ever have hope to walk or for thins to change, when it has been this way his entire life?

Yet, when he heard Paul speak, when he heard the gospel, about Jesus, hope was renewed and he was healed. His life changed! He “jumped up and began to walk.”

I want to challenge you and myself. Maybe there is a pain you have lived with a long time: the pain of being single, the pain of unemployment, broken relationships, emotional or physical pain. You’ve lost hope. How could anything ever change when it’s been this way, maybe forever.

If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, I urge you to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Meet the One who brings light to darkness. Experience hope in the gospel of Christ.

If you know Jesus. I will be blunter with you. Your hopelessness is a poor witness to everyone around you. If you, who has the hope and life of Christ living inside of you, feels like giving up, why would anyone want to follow your Jesus? I challenge you to look at your pain and tell it that you believe God’s power is stronger than it. Tell it you have hope because you know Jesus.

Let others see that you have faith just by looking into your eyes. And just wait, you may find yourself jumping and walking again.