Verse Acts 3:6-10
6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Thoughts
This line from Peter has always amazed me. There is something so powerful in it: "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you." What strikes me is that Peter and John were generous with the Holy Spirit. They could have easily walked by or ignored him. They certainly had really important things they were doing. They didn't have any money on them so they could have easily excused it as, "this is too bad we'd like to help but we simply can't." Instead, they found another way to be generous.
Let's take this story and broaden the application to our lives. How many people do we encounter in our daily lives who need a fresh touch from God? Do we really believe, as Peter did, that we have the Holy Spirit to give? Do we believe that the power of God resides inside of us?
Some of you may be thinking, "There's no way I'm going up to every person I see who needs healing and telling them God's going to heal them." True. We aren't called to walk around flippantly doing that. And I would argue this story is about more than healing. It's about the power of God working in and through the followers of Jesus as a way to spread the Good News. And I believe the Scripture teaches that is still true for us today.
So the question is, how often are we available to let that happen? How often are we offering to pray for someone who is sick? (Remember it is not our job to heal, but it is our job to pray!) How often are we praying for friends of ours going through a hard time, that they would receive a powerful filling of the Holy Spirit in their lives? How often are we saying those powerful words, "Can I pray for you right now?"
Listen, I know it is scary and intimidating. But the truth is that praying for others is part of our heritage. It is part of who God has called us to be. We might not be able to explain the mechanics of how it all works, but we are called to be a people who prays for others. God uses prayer. And he uses us when we pray.
What would it look like for us to be generous with the Holy Spirit in our lives? What steps of boldness could we begin to take in prayer for others? How can this story impact our everyday lives?
Prayer
Show me, Lord, how to be generous with your Holy Spirit!