God Uses People - Acts 3:1-26

As the third chapter of Acts begins Peter and John are going to the temple to pray. As they enter they encounter a man who was born lame. He was over forty years old and had been begging for money outside the temple every day for a long time. He asked Peter and John for money but they tell him that they don’t have any and then do some thing amazing. They tell him to get up and walk – and he does. I must confess that I have never seen anything quite like that, but I have seen God use people in my life. The way God used them and uses all of us parallels the way that he used Peter and John in Acts 3.

First of all, when asked for money, Peter says he has no money but “what I do have I give you.” We all must be willing to share with others “what I do have”. That may be possessions, time, energy, or talent, but what ever we have comes from God and He expects us to use it to bring glory to His name.

In sharing what we have we must also remember that we are responsible for doing so in a way that encourages others. My favorite scene in this story is in verse 7. We are told that Peter takes the man by the right hand and raises him up. So often we see people that have been blessed using those blessing to make themselves look better in the eyes of other people. God’s desire is that we not live life that selfishly but rather use what he has blessed us with to lift up those who are discouraged.

But even in encouraging others, the temptation is to expect people to pat us on the back and be so grateful for what “we” did for them. Notice in this story that the man never thanks Peter or John, He thanks God – and Peter and John are okay with that. When we share what we have with others it should encourage them but it should also shine a spotlight on God (not us). If we give to others just to be recognized by people we have missed the whole point. It is God at work through us, not because of us.

When these principles are lived out in our lives something wonderful happens. In this story, as the events unfold, people run to Peter and John with amazement. People are drawn to those who reflect God’s glory. A life that reflects God is amazing and people will want to know what makes it that way. Peter and John used their opportunity to share the hope of salvation found in Jesus. We all have the opportunity to live one of those amazing lives and share Jesus with others. Let’s not neglect sharing what we have.