Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

After Peter healed the lame man at the temple, he was asked by what name, or by what power, he had done these things. The above scripture was Peter's response. There is a beautiful, eternal truth in this scripture. God, the Father, raised Christ from the dead, just as Jesus raises us up. Now, Christ is our source of resurrection, but He does not just raise us up physically. Christ lifts our burdens, and helps us rise from our sins, spotless. Without our Savior, we cannot become clean. However, if we answer His call, to "Come unto me" then we can become whole, like the lame man. The word whole has always been one of my most favorite ways of describing the miracles of Christ and His followers. I like it, because it describes someone who is not just fixed, or patched up. It describes a person who is healed as if there was never a problem. They are whole or complete, having all their past afflictions removed. Therefore, as we repent and come to Christ, we will be made perfect through Him. I love that, because it reminds me that even though I am imperfect, and make mistakes, I do not have to carry those mistakes with me. I can give them to my Savior and he will heal me. I have always loved this picture to the right, because, to me, it represents the things I have been writing about. Just like this girl, when we find ourselves in a river, whose current is too strong for us, we can turn to Christ, and he will lift us out and up. I have felt this lifting power in my life, as I have felt my Savior's love and renewing forgiveness. 

Thoughts and Insights this Semester

While attending BYU this semester, I have the opportunity to take a class covering the second half of the New Testament (after the gospels). I have created this blog to allow me to share with all who are interested, the insights or thoughts I have each week on the material that is taught. My professor is Brother Griffin, who I have had before. He is a great teacher and really helps change perspective on well known scriptures. Throughout this blog, I ask you to forgive me for the many errors that will likely appear in my writing. I am human, but I hope they will not distract from the messages I will try to convey. 

This week, I felt specifically touched by the story of the lame man healed at the temple in Acts 3. However many times I have heard this story, I never put it in the context that my professor did. I never thought about how this man had been at the steps of the temple every day, and was therefore likely to have witnessed some of the healings of Christ. I never thought about the pain and the questions of self-worth that may have been consequences of these witnesses. However, I loved the idea of Christ thinking “I want to heal you and there is nothing wrong with you, but it is not the right time and I can use your faith to help bring others to me.” I believe this thought can be applied to our lives in whatever hurt we are feeling. God does not want to withhold any blessings from His children. However, He does see the big picture where we can only see the single moment we are in. He knows better than we do. If we can put our full trust in Him, we can also be comforted and know that there is nothing wrong with us. Blessings come in God's time, and they are not being withheld because we are not worthy. The lame man was an instrument in bringing 5,000 people to come to Christ. If we can have faith like the lame man who was healed, we too can help bring the light of Christ into the lives of others, and like Peter, we can help lift those who in that moment, are weaker than ourselves.