Ripe


Act 14:8  There was a man in Lystra who couldn't walk. He sat there, crippled 

	since the day of his birth. 

Act 14:9  He heard Paul talking, and Paul, looking him in the eye, saw that he 

	was ripe for God's work, ready to believe. 



	Driving by fields of corn that have grown tall and healthy, it might 

appear that surely they are ready for harvest. The seasoned farmer, though, 

knows exactly what to look for to determine just when the ears have reached 

their completed growth. This is when there will no longer be any value they can 

gain from the soil or the sun. In fact, further exposure to either will just 

cause deterioration, rotting and decomposing. It's interesting that this point 

can be reached when the rest of the plant no longer appears to be healthy and is 

already drying up. Correctly determining the state of the crop itself is so 

critical in maximizing the value of its harvest. This same principle is true for 

the harvesting of any grain, fruits or vegetables. There is always a right time 

for their harvest, and this time has a certain look for the knowing eye. There 

is a certain color, hardness, or drooping of its leaves that indicates the right 

time for its most productive removal. 


	From this passage in Acts, there is an indication that belief also has a 

certain look when it is ripe for harvest. There is an appearance that can be 

observed that clearly projects the condition of the heart and its ability to 

receive heavenly provision. There is a wonder in reading this if all observers 

readily saw this ripeness of belief or if this was just something that Paul saw. 

Surely those who had observed him from childhood, never able to walk and only 

able to sit on the floor, would have thought that he was long ago ready to be 

healed. What was it about him now, that look in his eyes, that made his 

condition different than ever before? Was it possibly a look of desperation and 

hope? Was there a determination like never before to get anything that might be 

available for him? Was there a light in his eyes that had been ignited by the 

stories he'd heard of miracles taking place?


	This man, having been in this condition all his life, might have had a 

great deal of skepticism with regard to possibilities of change for his life. He 

had probably learned to adapt and get by as best he could, but it must have been 

difficult to get past the inferiority his condition imposed on him and how much 

less there was for him in life than all those walking around. He might have 

longed for the freedom of mobility, but he surely had reason to doubt if ever 

get to experience the joy of going for a walk. While he may have heard stories 

about other "cures" and other "healers", there had never been any success for 

him in their application or touch. It must have been so difficult for him to get 

past the hopeless nature of his condition and the vision of himself as the poor 

cripple.


	There was something that came over him, though, upon hearing the words 

Paul was speaking, that was very different from anything he'd ever before 

experienced. It was like the darkness of his situation and its overwhelming 

depression was being lifted from him and replaced by a well-lit vision of a 

whole new life. Though he might have heard similar promises before, there was 

something about Paul's message of life in Christ that went past the barriers of 

skepticism in his mind and touched the very depths of his soul. This wasn't just 

another incredible story he was hearing, but in the speaking of every word was 

the touching of the cripple's heart with a powerful presence that could not be 

ignored. There was a transformation of his very appearance from the downcast 

look of one without hope or inspiration to the look of one who had just been 

given something so much better upon which to focus. Totally distracted from his 

own condition, his head was lifted by the vision of what might be possible for 

him in the presence of this God who was so very good. 


	While the circumstances of life may require the working of a miracle to 

resolve, it is not in the affect of their existence that the look of being ripe 

for belief is acquired. It is not the presentation of a dire problem and 

focusing on how impossible it is that will bring on this look. It is when the 

circumstances of life, no matter what they may be, lose all significance 

whatsoever in the presence of a possibility God, that the right color, hardness, 

and texture for believing is acquired. There is a light in the eyes of one who 

has already found purpose in Him and is convinced of His power, availability, 

and willingness to do even more than they can imagine. Reliance upon the world 

and anything it might offer has been exhausted, and there is a willingness to be 

taken by the hand of the Master and removed from the world altogether. 


	The Great Harvester is going throughout the whole earth, looking for 

someone to whom His power and might will be shown, someone who is ready to be 

completely consumed by Him. There is a "look" this person will have that will 

indicate a ripeness for transformation. This "look" will have been acquired, not 
by exalting and dwelling on the affects of difficulty, but by letting the 

overwhelming experience of His presence transform and inspire in the hearing and 

honoring of His words. It will be quite obvious what has been occupying the 

mind, as thoughts of His goodness will only bring the light of hope. As this 

person is identified as one who has chosen a life of worship, his believing will 

begin to yield the fruit of unhindered possibilities. All things are possible to 

this person who believes. Let that person be you. Let that person be me. 



7/16/04