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I want to show you how powerful that miracle was. Acts
3:2, “And a certain man who had been lame from his mother’s
womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down
every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in
order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple.” He
was lame from his mother’s womb. Acts 4:22, “…for the man
was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing
had been performed.”
First steps are a big deal in my family. I watched my
children learn to walk. I watch my grandchildren learn to walk.
I have a great grandson I haven’t seen yet. He’s brand new but
it’s exciting to see them learn to walk. This man was lame from
his mother’s womb. He never learned to walk. Think of that!
He never took one step! And the first step he took is Acts 3:8,
“And with a leap, he stood upright and began to walk; and he
entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising
God.” Can you imagine that?
If my little grandchild all of a sudden stood up and
began to dance around and praise the Lord, it would be an
amazing miracle! Fruit is a miracle and it’s every bit as big as
that miracle. It someone does wrong to you, you should forgive
them. You can’t forgive them. God has to work in your heart
a forgiveness and not just suppressing it and not talking about
it but replacing it with love. That’s a miracle!
“Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church.”
That’s impossible without a miracle. This is the kind of miracle
we need when we have fruit. When something comes into your
life that is not pleasant, when you get that doctor’s report or
when your creature comforts fail, you aren’t just to say, “I
accept it. Thank You.” You are to leap and to rejoice and say,
“Thank You, Lord!” If you see a Christian live like that, that’s
fruit!
Sometimes Christians are called to take care of the
elderly and that’s not always pleasant. It can drain your
resources. You need a miracle. I took care of my stepfather.
He was very mean. One time my wife made a meal and he said,
“Give that to the dogs.” My wife didn’t say anything but I saw
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