Never Think You’re Empty-Handed
Do you find yourself in situations where you know someone has a need, or perhaps that person even asks you for help, but it's for a need that you know you can't meet? You know that you don't have the money to help them with their financial need, or you can't provide them with the job or the living situation that would solve their problem, or that you're not gifted to provide the family counseling they need. But that doesn't mean you're empty-handed. You always have something to give.
In the book of Acts, Peter and John were passing through the temple gates and saw a man who had been crippled from birth sitting there begging. He asked them for money. Peter and John didn't have any money that day, and they could have just ignored him and walked on. But Peter realized he always had something to give as long as he had the power of the Most High God living in him. He looked straight at that man and said, "Silver and gold I don't have, but I do have something, and His name is Jesus." He reached out his hand and said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" That crippled man jumped up and began walking and leaping and praising God, and all because Peter realized he was never empty-handed.
You may not have exactly what someone wants or needs, but do you have a hand you can lend? Maybe it's just your time. Sometimes time is more valuable than money. Perhaps your sister just needs an encouraging word to help put her back on her feet. Does she need you to sit down for fifteen minutes, to be a listening ear, to nod and say, "Yes, you can do it"?
Remember how a young boy's sack lunch of five loaves and two fish was multiplied and fed a multitude? We are never empty-handed, because we serve the Creator of the world. We need to have the abundant mentality of an extravagant giver, because when we put what we have in the hands of Jesus, no matter how great or small, it makes a difference in people's lives. It might be holding the door open for a stranger and saying hello. It might be giving a bold prayer for them in the name of Jesus. Just let your light shine, and you're going to see miracles and new doors open.
Be an extravagant giver of what you have. Have the mentality that says, "I may not have exactly what you need today, but I have a prayer. I have a helping hand. I have an encouraging word. I have something I can do for you!"
In the book of Acts, Peter and John were passing through the temple gates and saw a man who had been crippled from birth sitting there begging. He asked them for money. Peter and John didn't have any money that day, and they could have just ignored him and walked on. But Peter realized he always had something to give as long as he had the power of the Most High God living in him. He looked straight at that man and said, "Silver and gold I don't have, but I do have something, and His name is Jesus." He reached out his hand and said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" That crippled man jumped up and began walking and leaping and praising God, and all because Peter realized he was never empty-handed.
You may not have exactly what someone wants or needs, but do you have a hand you can lend? Maybe it's just your time. Sometimes time is more valuable than money. Perhaps your sister just needs an encouraging word to help put her back on her feet. Does she need you to sit down for fifteen minutes, to be a listening ear, to nod and say, "Yes, you can do it"?
Remember how a young boy's sack lunch of five loaves and two fish was multiplied and fed a multitude? We are never empty-handed, because we serve the Creator of the world. We need to have the abundant mentality of an extravagant giver, because when we put what we have in the hands of Jesus, no matter how great or small, it makes a difference in people's lives. It might be holding the door open for a stranger and saying hello. It might be giving a bold prayer for them in the name of Jesus. Just let your light shine, and you're going to see miracles and new doors open.
Be an extravagant giver of what you have. Have the mentality that says, "I may not have exactly what you need today, but I have a prayer. I have a helping hand. I have an encouraging word. I have something I can do for you!"