Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our Reading titled The Perfect Gift was written by Nancy Gavallanus.

While I was on an outreach during a short-term mission trip to Peru, a young man asked me for money. For security

reasons, my team had been instructed not to give out money, so how could I help him?

Then I recalled the response of the Apostles Peter and John to the lame man in Acts 3.

I explained to him that I couldn't give him money,

but I could share the good news of God's love with him.

When he said that he was an orphan,

I told him that God wants to be his father.

That brought him to tears. I connected him with a member of our host church for follow-up.

Sometimes our words can feel so insufficient, but the Holy Spirit can empower us as we share Jesus with

others. When Peter and John came across the man by the temple courts, they knew that

sharing Christ was the greatest gift ever. Then Peter said, silver or gold I do not have, but what I do

have, I give you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.

The man received salvation and healing that day.

God continues to use us to draw the loss to him.

As we search for the perfect gifts to give this Christmas,

let's remember that the true gift is knowing Jesus and the gift of

eternal salvation he offers. Let's continue to seek to be used by God to lead people to the Savior.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Acts chapter 3 verses 1 through 10.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at 3 in the afternoon.

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful,

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