April 13, 2026 | Be Connected
A Beautiful Encounter
Scripture: Acts 3:1-5(NIV)
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 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. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
Devotional
The gate called Beautiful was on the east side of the temple. It was one of the most used gates. Many people went through it every day, passing from the secular outside world into the sacred temple courts.
Think about the man who was there.
Lame from birth.
Carried by friends.
Put there every day.
Begged for money.
Busy time of prayer.
Glanced at Peter and John.
Heard, “Look at us!”
Locked eyes.
Expected to get something.
Pretend that you have never read the rest of this passage. Make up your own story of how this encounter would go from there. Go ahead, do this now….
When you have finished your make-believe story, ask yourself how many encounters like this you have every year.
What did you learn?
