Reverend J. Loren Russell
Acts 3:1-6 (KJV)
“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 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.”
In the same way you can’t give what you never had, you cannot come back from where you have never been. These idioms are not just wise sayings; they are truths that will never change. So is the statement made by Peter when he told the lame man, “such as I have!”
Recognizing our limitations does not limit our abilities, it improves it. Neither Peter nor John had any money to give to the lame man begging for charity. That was their limitation. At one time, they may have had an abundance of resources that they could have shared with this poor beggar, but they had given up their businesses, discarded their material possessions, and committed themselves to following Jesus. They had nothing material to give this man. But what they did have they were willing to share.
As they were entering the temple at the hour of prayer, Peter and John are confronted by someone whose only hope of survival was the generosity of those who were committed to God. Having no medical benefits, no social security, no pension benefits, he was daily laid at the temple gate called beautiful to beg – this man with a heart-felt plea for help. Peter and John recognized their limitations but were more than willing to share what they did have with this man. The lame man was begging for charity, what he got was a miracle. “Look on us…, 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.”
What the lame man thought he would receive turned into a change in his life that would take him places he never thought he would go, and to do things he never thought he would do. Immediately after Peter shared what he had, the scripture says, “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.”
What has God gifted you with? What are you willing to share with someone seeking alms that will transform their lives forever? Are you willing to say, “Such as I have, give I thee…”
Be Blessed!
Matters of Faith 
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