“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.”(Peter speaking to a beggar in Acts 3:6)

Instead of making a New Year’s resolution to “be better,” “eat less,” or “save more money,” a goal likely to be abandoned soon, what if we chose a scripture that declares our purpose in Christ? I have a friend whose front door plaque declares, As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Doesn’t that sound like a great way not to just start 2023 but to keep going? I also love what Peter tells the beggar he sees at the Temple steps: Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. As Christ-followers, isn’t that what we’re called to do, not just for a week or two in a new year, but daily? To be ready to give what we have, whenever and wherever we can?

In Acts 3, Peter and John see two needs: a crippled man who cannot walk; thus, he cannot support himself except through begging. Which need to meet? Why not both? Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter heals this man so he can leave begging behind.  

But I have no power to heal a man crippled from birth, I can imagine you protesting. Probably not. I don’t have enough money to give to save a beggar from his poverty, you might then counter. Neither did Peter and John. 

But we have more to offer than we might think. First of all, we can take notice of needs around us. Peter and John could have easily sidestepped this beggar and proceeded toward the Temple to pray. But they “looked straight at him” (Acts 3:4). Second, we can meet a need as best we can. Can we reach into our wallets, take someone for a meal, or extend a cold water bottle on a scorching day? Can we just sit and pray with someone who needs to pour out her heart? Third, notice that when Peter tells the beggar, in Jesus’ name, to walk, he “takes him by the right hand and helps him up” (3:7). He doesn’t just say, “be healed,” and walk on; he gets physically involved. People, perhaps most of all those down and out, need physical contact; Peter doesn’t shy from that. We, too, have arms to hug, hands to reach out. Fourth, we can be open to the Holy Spirit’s tug to work through us when we’re not expecting it; perhaps something miraculous could happen! There’s power in the Name we profess.

What I have I give you.

Whatever little we think we have to give, Jesus can magnify that beyond our imagining when we choose to respond. 

What do you have to give? A ready stash of gift cards when you see the homeless person at the red traffic light? The ability to volunteer with a literacy group or the food pantry? A willingness to act out of your comfort zone if the Spirit leads? Needs surround us. How can you “look straight at” a need this week, maybe really see it for the first time and, because you love Jesus, move to meet it with whatever you might have?