“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at
the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth
was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day
to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John
about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did
John. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’ So the man gave them his attention,
expecting to get something from them.
"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.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and
instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and
began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and
jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising
God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple
gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what
had happened to him.” Acts 3 : 1 - 10
Being college students, we need outlets- things that make us
excited. We live off of good coffee, free candy, baked goods, and conversations
with friends. We like to get excited about the goofiest things together. It is
our survival technique.
At Large Group this week, we were told that in addition to
some of the things mentioned above, sports are something a few of us get really
excited about, and I definitely relate. Screaming with more than 40,000 people
during a Rockies baseball game in September that matters doesn’t compare to
many things on this earth, in my opinion. In the past few years, I have loved
talking about it and sharing what happened with my family and friends. A great
win would make my smile last for a whole day, or until the Rockies lost again. We all have our activities to make us forget about school
for a while, but sometimes they turn into distractions. These distractions may
lead us away from schoolwork or even God. For me in high school, I followed
baseball into the late hours of the late as opposed to studying. So why are we
so eager to share about things that are not totally beneficial? What if…instead
we shared Jesus with our friends? We could tell of all the things He’s done in
our lives, maybe just in this semester. We could share joy with others. Or the
help He gives us to make it week to week.
You might have heard of Double Rainbow Guy or watched his
YouTube channel with over 30 million views, and you’ve probably read of Peter
and John. I’ve watched the Double Rainbow movie twice, and never failed to
laugh at this dude’s amazement, while on Tuesday I gained a deeper perspective
on the story of Peter & John reaching out to the lame man. What do these
people have in common? They chose to share, not holding back at all, and now
millions have seen the results of that sharing. Double Rainbow Guy was
literally brought to tears by the amazing site outside his door. He took the
time to stop and recognize what was going on. He searched for a deeper
meaning…even though he might have not found it. Peter and John were going to
the temple, most likely a frequent part of their schedule. They too chose to
stop and reach out to someone in need.
Think about your friends you see on the way to class. Are
they in need? Searching? Maybe you don’t know, but you’ll never find out unless
you reach out your hand and act. It’s challenging, this acting on God’s will.
Scary at times. It’s hard because we’re afraid of being rejected, and that our
friends don’t want Jesus; they aren’t expecting Him. But they are expecting something, like the blind man. And they
might be amazed if they find Jesus work miracles in their life, and the people
around will be amazed in turn.
In the weeks leading up to the God Answers event, I hope we
become challenged to share. We never know what might happen. They might say
yes, and accept without knowing what they’re getting in to, but find the
experience to be worth it. InterVarsity could change. Our campus could change.
Ask yourself: what does He want to do in you? It might not even be
intimidating, but reach out and share. Then God’s power will transform and
reveal His will. It’s actually easy, if you think about it: you just have to
take one step and let God do the rest by trusting in Him.
I love getting excited about Starbucks and Cinnabon and
packages in the mail and double plays and a good test and InterVarsity, but I
should really get excited about everything God has done for me. It’s sometimes
hard to stop and recognize God’s work while getting excited about the other
things. But the reason we share anything in the first place is because we feel
they’re worthy of being shared, and God’s works are the most deserving to tell
others.
So let’s take some time out of our schedule to share what
excites us. It’s worth it.
~Katerina
