Salvation at Gate called Beautiful
Acts 3:1-10
v6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” “But the great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.” – C.S. Lewis
A Gate, marks a border for premises that requires permission for entry. In our Christian walk of life, are we standing outside the gate waiting for salvation or have we received our salvation from Christ? The Psalmist says, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me," (Psalm 51:5). A parallel can be drawn between our lives and that of the lame man in the above-mentioned passage. As in the scripture, our sins have crippled us and left us outside of the gates. Our friends and families have always tended to our worldly needs; much like the lame man we are also carried to temple gates to seek out our needs. If we are to commit ourselves to an introspection, I believe we will find ourselves switching back and forth between the characters of the lame man and the people who carried him to the temple gate. It is important to understand that without grace, mercy and love of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ we will not enter the gates of heaven. Peter and John shared that love with that man and gave him an opportunity to taste the love of the Lord.
As in the passage, we are all assuming a role between the lame man and the people who carried him. If we find ourselves in the position of lame man, weak and heavy laden by the weight of our sins, it is imperative that we understand that the grace, mercy and love of Christ is not exclusive and that it has room to accommodate all our needs. We simply need to seek him. In this present day and age, diversity is at the center of most discussions. It is our duty as Christians to realize that just as diverse as our demography-our sins are diversified as well. We need to realize the need for Christ is greater than all our other needs. As it says in Mathew 6:33, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
We as a Christian community need to show grace towards one another. In a role reversal situation, sometimes we find ourselves in the shoes of people who carried the man to the gate. In hopes of providing help and grace, we tend to their physical needs. Along with their physical needs, it is of equal or higher significance that we help them in their spiritual journey as well. To those of us that have received the salvation of Christ, share the joy, grace and love with one another. Lastly, I would like to ask all of us, are we blinded by the sins of this world that we are unable to seek or provide the love of God to one another?
PRAYER
Abba Father, we come before your throne of grace seeking grace and mercy. We pray that, you give us the grace to acknowledge one another. We pray that we may share the love that which you have showered upon us with our fellow brothers and sisters.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Salvation is not exclusive to any certain groups; In the Lord’s infinite grace he has provided us with an inclusive path to salvation on that cross at calvary.
Christo Abraham, Long Island MTC
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church |