The Humble Beggar

THE HUMBLE BEGGAR

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 from those who entered the temple;
Acts 3:2 (NKJV)

This lame man which Peter and John healed at the temple was like many disabled folks in that time. There were no government programs, and their survival was based on the charity of others. Yet, with all that he did not have, he had one vital thing – humility.

This lame beggar could do nothing on his own. He depended on someone to carry him to the temple daily. He depended on the mercy of others to give him money. That is exactly how we come to Christ. We can do nothing to earn salvation. We should be humbled to think of all that Christ did for us. There is no room for pride.

We also need to come humbly before God when we pray. Notice that the beggar “asked” for alms. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you;” (Luke 11:9a). Prayer is a humbling experience. Like that beggar, we are incapable of doing anything apart from God.

Let’s look at the blessings given to the humble beggar. He was only seeking money from Peter and John, but he received so much more. He was healed! For the first time in his life, he walked into the temple “leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:8). What was the reaction of the people when they recognized him as the begger who had sat at the temple gate? “They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” (Acts 3:10). God uses humble people to witness to others. People will be astonished at what God does in the lives of those who are weak and merciful. Perhaps this is why Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,” (1 Pet. 5:6).

Dear Lord,
Humble me so that I may be pleasing in Your sight. Never allow pride to creep in. Cleanse me from all pride and arrogance. Thank You for salvation and also for all that You do in my life. Apart from You, I can do nothing. Amen.

DIG DEEPER
Read Acts 3:1-10.

HIKING THE TRAIL
We will never know when we are humble because that knowledge would be prideful. Pride is the exact opposite of humility. We need to pray for God to humble us every day. Never forget to thank God for His work in our lives. Without Him, where would we be?

Copyright 2014 Carolyn Dale Newell.

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