"I have no silver and gold..."

Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.

And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, "Look at us." And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from them.

But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

I love that story, from the third chapter of Acts. I've thought of it several times during the last few days as I struggled to express my present concerns and desires to others here (and to myself). Those words: "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have..." And what he offers is the power of God.

That's what I want. To set aside the human powers of wealth and force and instead offer to people the transforming power of God. To help people not with money or institutional power but through the spiritual power that points directly to God. Like Jesus did. A poor man who set the example that God later explained to Paul: "My power is made perfect in weakness."

Someone responded a couple days ago saying that I shouldn't expect to be Jesus (or Peter either, I suppose) and should just offer whatever good I can and be satisfied with that and "give myself a break." But I don't think it's a matter of demanding too much of myself. I don't expect to save the world. But I see what God did through Jesus and I know Jesus offered us the opportunity to "follow me" and experience God working through us in the same incredible ways. I want this. I don't demand it of myself, I desire it with all my heart and can't be satisfied until I can experience all that Jesus promised. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do..." (Jn 14.12)

Why should we settle for less? Isn't such a life (the life of the kingdom, eternal life, the life Jesus demonstrated) the pearl of great price for which we should sell everything because it's the only thing that matters?