If only I was tall; if only I was handsome; if only I was built differently, if only I had money or could win the lottery, etc., etc.
Do you ever hear those words coming out of your mouth.? I remember a time years ago as we were traveling in Madagascar with a team of Americans and a bunch of us were in a hotel room playing hearts. I can still remember Jeff Gasaway made a bad play that cost him some points and after he said, “If I had done it differently I wouldn’t have taken those points.” Along with us on the trip was a seasoned (a nice way to say old) fellow from Texas who was full of all kinds of country wisdom, named Mickey Porter. Mickey sized Jeff up, and then responded, “And if my Aunt Jane were built differently she’d be my Uncle Tom.”
Of course we all found that incredibly funny, but I also realized something very true in all of that: We spend too much of our time wanting to be something other than we are, or expecting to people to be something other than what God made them to be.
We come to a story this week in Acts 3, in our series called Inception, and a section I have entitled "Converted". A lame man sits by the side of the rode and Peter and John come by, and this lame man has an expectation of what he wants from them. He wants them to provide him with silver, with money. But the two stop, and they look at him, and Peter says, "Silver and gold we do not have. Such as I have give I thee."
Peter has come to a point in his life where he realizes what he doesn't have, but even more important, he realizes what he does have. Peter's life has been converted from lousy fisherman to one who is filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter has Jesus, and he realizes that is all he has, and even more importantly, that is all he needs, and he shares that with the man beside the road.
Do you ever hear those words coming out of your mouth.? I remember a time years ago as we were traveling in Madagascar with a team of Americans and a bunch of us were in a hotel room playing hearts. I can still remember Jeff Gasaway made a bad play that cost him some points and after he said, “If I had done it differently I wouldn’t have taken those points.” Along with us on the trip was a seasoned (a nice way to say old) fellow from Texas who was full of all kinds of country wisdom, named Mickey Porter. Mickey sized Jeff up, and then responded, “And if my Aunt Jane were built differently she’d be my Uncle Tom.”
Of course we all found that incredibly funny, but I also realized something very true in all of that: We spend too much of our time wanting to be something other than we are, or expecting to people to be something other than what God made them to be.
We come to a story this week in Acts 3, in our series called Inception, and a section I have entitled "Converted". A lame man sits by the side of the rode and Peter and John come by, and this lame man has an expectation of what he wants from them. He wants them to provide him with silver, with money. But the two stop, and they look at him, and Peter says, "Silver and gold we do not have. Such as I have give I thee."
Peter has come to a point in his life where he realizes what he doesn't have, but even more important, he realizes what he does have. Peter's life has been converted from lousy fisherman to one who is filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter has Jesus, and he realizes that is all he has, and even more importantly, that is all he needs, and he shares that with the man beside the road.
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