Scripture: Acts 3 v 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."
Christians who are baptised in the Holy Spirit give gifts of miracles and healings to those who are lame, ill or in difficulty. They have authority from our Father in Heaven to use the name of Jesus to change the lives of those who are oppressed, depressed or possessed.
People don't have to have special training to be used of God, they just have to be available and obedient. Jesus is our Leader and we are all followers, whether we are apostles, prophets, pastors or lowly members of his body. We all follow the Lamb.
We all start out as the lame man at the beautiful gate who begged for money. We are poor, blind, naked and compromised by the world of sin. Someone walks by with godly authority and says forget the money, rise up and walk.
Suddenly we become a new creation in Christ Jesus. We are connected to the Highest power in the Universe. God has come alive in our hearts and we are forever changed. Our needs are met, our hopes have come alive, our destination is solid gold. We need to rise up and walk in newness of life.
Throw off the shackles of the world and move into the higher life of Jesus. Your eternal life has begun the moment you are born again, you just need to find out what that really means. You are now upgraded to the full stature that Adam had before he fell and cast every person born between him and Jesus to be diminished by sin. 1 Corinthians 15 v 45-49.
When we follow Jesus we identify with his death so that the wages of sin which is death, dies with Him. In baptism we lose the old sinful nature and gain the nature of Jesus, that hates sin. Coming up out of the water we identify with His resurrection. We are then ready for the Holy Spirit baptism which completes the transformation into the new creation.
Now we can rise up and walk in full stature to be a witness of the way the living Jesus within us has changed us to be like Him. You cannot serve two masters so if the sinful world still appeals to you it can suck you back in and you have gained nothing but guilt and shame.
So stand tall and walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Shun the lure of worldly pleasure for a life of love, peace and joy every day of the year. People spend Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus, but we can celebrate it every day giving the gifts of healing and life far beyond the value of silver and gold.
We have a heavenly bank account that is opened the day our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. We may get no earthly rewards for unseen acts of kindness but the rewards of obedience go into our bank account in Heaven. The more we sacrifice or surrender or give in the here and now the more our account grows. And this will last through eternity.
1 Corinthians 2 v 9: "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
Matthew 6 v 19 - 21: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Knowing all this as truth should encourage us to rise up and walk with Jesus all the way. Stop worrying about the future and our legacies to future generations because we do not know how long we will still be on Earth. We do know the season of the coming of Jesus and if we read Matthew 24 we know that all the boxes have been ticked and we are just waiting for the last trump to sound.
Prayer: Father God we appreciate You and the abundance of gifts you give us to bless those who need a touch from Your hand. Let us not confuse the wealth of the world with Your eternal living gift of Jesus Christ, and His salvation message. In Jesus' name. Amen.
