SUCH AS I HAVE

As the apostles, Peter and John, were about to enter the temple in Jerusalem for prayer, they encountered a man who was lame sitting at the gate and asking for handouts.  The man was over 40 years old, and had been born lame and never walked.  When he saw Peter and John, the man asked them for some money.  This man received healing that day because these two men were obedient to God and stopped to minister to the need.  The record of this miracle can be found in Acts 3:1-8.  Five things stand out to me that preceded this miracle, and these five things I believe are pre-requisite to becoming useful servants of God, and, ultimately, channels for miracles:

 

·        “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him…”  First, and foremost, before we can minister to others, we must be willing to see their needs.  It is too easy to look past them, or worse, not see them at all, as we speed through our busy schedules.  The apostles were on their way someplace else but took the time to examine the need before them and invest themselves fully in it.  We, too, must be willing to stop and see what is before our eyes – the needs are abundant – and be ready for God to use us as He would lead.  Compassion, then, is a necessary attribute for every child of God.

 

·        “And Peter…said, Look on us.”  We should so live our lives that we are never ashamed to have people examine our lives and see us as examples.  We should also be so confident as to believe that God will use us to minister to the need that He has set before us.  It’s easier to have people look to someone else for the answers, but it is you and I that God is wanting to use.  We may feel weak and foolish at times, and incapable of meeting anyone else’s needs; but “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”  God has chosen you, dear child of God!

 

·        “And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.”   The world is expecting something of us as Christians.  When we are bold to say, “Look on us,” then they are waiting to see what we’ve got that is any different from the rest of the world and its religions and philosophies.  We must be ready and able to show them Jesus.  It is He, and He alone, Who will save the lost, and heal the hurting.  Men will give heed to us if we have God’s words in our mouth and His love filling our hearts, and not just some empty dogma.  Men are expecting something of us other than platitudes.  It is Christ in us, and the life that flows from Him, that can raise men’s expectations.

 

·        “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.”  It is much easier to give of our things than it is to give of ourselves.  Peter could have tossed the man a half shekel and be done with it if he’d had one, but the man’s need would have been just as great once that money was gone.  What Peter and John did have, however, was faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His power to change men’s lives in miraculous ways.  It is important that we learn to use such as we have also.  Even if we think that what we have is insignificant, God can bless it and multiply it even as He did with the little boy’s lunch that fed 5000 men by the sea of Galilee.  God will take the gifts and talents that we have and use them for His glory if we are willing to give them and not hold them back.

 

·        “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”  The name of Jesus is above all other names.  There is power and authority in the name of Jesus Christ.  One day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is the Lord of all.  It is not we who possess any power, but Christ in us Who works in and through us.  The officer of the law who pulls us over for speeding has no power in himself to make us stop.  It is the power and authority that he wields in the name of the law that puts fear and respect in our hearts.  At the name of Jesus, people will cast off the things that have crippled them all their lives both emotionally and spiritually.  At the name of Jesus, people will be able to walk, and leap, and praise God when before they were barely able to stand under the weight of guilt, disappointment, and heartache.  And, yes, at the name of Jesus, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the lame will walk again. 

 

If we would keep these five things in mind, and if they would become principles for us to live by, there is no telling how many people our lives may touch, and how mighty the Church would be.  Open your eyes to the needs and opportunities that are around you, and trust God to use you to minister to those needs – not in your name, but in the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

 

“And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.  And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” (Acts 3:7, 8).