Act 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

 

Peter and John were on their way to the Temple. A man who had been born lame sat at the Temple gate, known as the Beautiful Gate, and begged from the people who were going in. The man saw Peter and John entering the temple and he asked them for money. But Peter said to him: "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Then Peter took the man's right hand and lifted him up. Immediately his feet and legs became strong. And, he jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk (v.1-8). Peter’s words must have sounded strange when he said “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give to thee.” The man probably felt disappointed. But how excited he was when Peter took hold of his hand, lifted him up, and healed him. The Scripture says he was walking, leaping, and praising God (v.8). What Peter gave him was better than silver or gold. Money cannot serve this beggar’s problem. What if the beggar had got what he was asking for, silver and gold? For a short period of time things might have been a bit easier for him in some respects, but in due time the money would have run out. He would have been “back to square one”, begging again. Restoring his legs making him to walk was something the man did not expect but I’m sure he would say it’s the best gift he ever received. There are many things that are better than money. One example is health. It is often said that wealth is health. Solomon concurs and writes: “A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease” (Ecclesiastes 6:2). I like to bring our attention to these seven words spoken by Peter: “Such as I have give I thee.” Peter had no money but he had the power of healing. His gift was the best of all. No money no problem; just give what you have. Too often we think that giving money is the only way to help a person in need. This account in Act tells us that money is not the only thing we can give to another person. Today, we don’t have the gift of healing. But we certainly can provide emotional healing. Solomon wrote: “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). Words can either heal or destroy; use our words for healing. What about giving to God? What things do we have that we can give to God? I suggest we can also give our time, energy, talents, even ourselves to God. Paul exhorts: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). The church in Macedonia was able to do exceeding in their giving because they first gave of themselves to God (1 Corinthians 8:5). We should do a self check: “Am I willing to give myself – my time, my energy, my money, and my talents, to be used anyway that God sees fit?” Giving “such as we have” to our Lord unreservedly for use in the service of His kingdom is what we should be doing. The reply from Peter to the lame man, “such as I have give I thee”, is God’s will for each of us today! We are so prone to settle for the “silver and gold” but Christ wants more from us. He wants us to deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). He wants us to be fruitful in His kingdom (John 15:8). He wants us to give such as we have (Mark 12:44). God is looking at your giving: Are you giving such as you have to the Lord?