This Sunday, one simple question followed us home!
What’s in your hand?
That was the question Ps Larry brought to us at 3C South Coast as we continued our Standing Strong series. After worship, communion and prayer together, we came to the Word with a beautiful reminder: we may not have everything we wish we had, but when we have Jesus, we are never empty-handed.
It’s easy to measure our usefulness by what we think we still need. We tell ourselves we’ll step out when we have more confidence, more resources or a better opportunity. Yet Sunday’s message reminded us that God is not waiting for some future version of us. He can work with what we place in His hands today.
Ps Larry said it so clearly:
“Stop wasting time and energy on what we don’t have and start asking God to use what we do have.”
That changes the way we look at ourselves — and at what God can do through us.
Christ Is Enough
Ps Larry took us to 1 Corinthians 1:27:
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
Throughout Scripture, God worked through ordinary people who simply surrendered what they had.
- David had a sling.
- Moses had a staff.
- A widow had a little oil.
- A young boy had five loaves and two fish.
God has never depended on human status or impressive resources to fulfil His purposes.
There is something deeply freeing about that.
We don’t have to prove ourselves before God can use us. No need for the perfect background, the right title or endless resources. When Jesus becomes our treasure, everything else finds its proper place.
Ps Larry kept bringing us back to one truth:
Christ is enough.
What’s In Your Hand?
Then we went to the story of Peter and John at the temple gate.
Acts 3:4–6
“And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, ‘Look at us.’ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’”
The man was expecting money.
Peter didn’t have any.
But Peter didn’t say, “Sorry, I’ve got nothing.”
He knew what he carried.
Ps Larry gave us another line worth holding onto:
“What is not enough in our hands can become more than enough in God’s hands.”
What we carry may seem ordinary to us, but God sees it differently. A testimony can encourage someone. A prayer can strengthen someone. A few minutes of genuine attention can change the direction of a conversation.
Once we stop measuring what we have by its size, we can simply ask:
“Lord, how can You use what You’ve already placed in my life?”
Sometimes the Greatest Gift Is Our Time
Peter and John were on their way somewhere when they met the man at the gate.
They stopped. That small detail says so much. We live quickly. There is always somewhere to go, another message to answer or another task waiting for us.
Yet so much of Jesus’ ministry happened in interruptions.
He stopped for people.
That may look very simple in everyday life. It could mean:
- slowing down long enough to hear what someone is really saying,
- giving our family our full attention,
- or praying with a friend instead of immediately trying to solve the problem.
Sometimes people don’t need an impressive answer. They need to know that we see them.
Ps Larry said, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
Then we looked at Jesus in Matthew 9:36
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them…”
Before Jesus responded, He saw.
We can pass people every day without really noticing what they are carrying. Yet compassion begins when we slow down long enough to see the person in front of us.
Give People the Jesus You Carry
Peter’s greatest possession was not silver or gold.
It was Jesus.
And that brought us to one of the strongest statements from Sunday’s message:
“You cannot give to others what you’re not carrying.”
We carry more than words about Jesus. As we walk closely with Him, His love, grace and hope begin to shape the way we respond to people. Our relationship with Him becomes the source of what we give to others.
Colossians 1:27
“…Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
That is why our own walk with Jesus comes first. The closer we stay to Him, the more naturally His character begins to flow through our conversations, our choices and even those unexpected moments when someone needs us. Peter had walked with Jesus. He had experienced His grace. He had seen the resurrected Christ. He had been filled with the Holy Spirit.
What he had received, he could now give away.
And that is discipleship.
Don’t Let Fear Control Your Life
Ps Larry closed by speaking about fear.
Fear can make us hold too tightly to what we have. It can make us protect, withdraw and build walls around ourselves.
Faith does the opposite – it opens our hands.
Deuteronomy 31:8
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
When Christ truly becomes enough, we don’t have to build our lives around protecting what we might lose.
Instead, our prayer can become:
Lord, bless us, but never let the blessing replace You.
Increase us, but keep us humble.
Give us influence, but keep us faithful.
Prosper us, but never let prosperity possess our hearts.
So maybe we finish the week with a different perspective. Instead of looking at what seems insufficient, let’s notice what God has already entrusted to us and place it back in His hands.
We may feel ordinary, but we carry Christ — and that means God can use our lives in ways we may never fully see.
We are never empty-handed when we have Jesus.
As we move into the week, let’s ask one simple question together:
Lord, what is in my hand, and who can I bless with it today?
If you would like to know more about our Pastors and church family, we’d love you to connect with us. And if you have never made Jesus Lord of your life, you can start with our Salvation Prayer.
Contact 3C South Coast for prayer, encouragement or someone to walk with you.
If you’re preparing for the wider G12 family gathering, you can also find details for the G12 Africa Conference.
Christ is enough. And because we have Christ, we always have something to give.
