Giving and Receiving
“…remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” Acts 20:35b
This Christmas my grandchildren had a “Secret Santa” who dropped off gifts that they would find when they opened the door in the morning. This was a kind and generous thing done by someone who knows and loves them. The gifts started coming slowly but the two weeks before Christmas they got a gift every day every other day. It got to the point that they were not just looking
forward to each gift but expecting them. There was some real fun in watching them as the gifts were “discovered” in the morning. There was also a little concern because they started to expect them. They assumed that every present that came to our house was for them.
In shopping with them and on Christmas morning my daughter tried to put the emphasis for them on the giving rather than the receiving but the truth is – most of the presents in our home were for them! The temptation to be greedy was
great.
How much is enough and how much is too much?
Christmas is a time when, as Christians, we want to keep our focus on Christ. It is easy to get caught up in the gift giving and worldly traditions if we don’t make a concerted effort to “seek first His kingdom”. When there are presents for days and days on end that focus gets twisted. “His Kingdom” can get lost in the piles.
2012 gives us a chance for a fresh start. This post began with a portion of Acts 20:35, “…remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” This verse holds a command and information for our benefit.
The command is to remember the words of Jesus. There are other places where we are reminded that in order to live to please God we must know the scriptures. In Matthew 22:29 Jesus was questioned by some Sadducees about resurrection and marriage. In their question they showed misunderstanding and the verse says, “But Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.’”
The information that Jesus gives in Acts 20:35 is that it is better to give than to receive. To me this implies that you and I would receive more blessings from God if we would be more generous to other people. This is not to say that we should give in hopes of what we might get in return, unless all we are looking for in return is the pleasure of our God.
Do we know the scriptures and the power of God? Do we understand His character so that we truly want to obey His commands? Do we want to please Him? Are we aware of His great power over sin – our sin as well as other’s sin? Do we tremble at His Word? Do we understand the blessing of His blessings so that we want them – even if it means we give more than receive?
The scriptures offer us great treasures to enjoy, to remember, and to give away to those in need. They are something that we can be generous with. Then, as the Lord has given to us, so we should also give to others. Whether we are the poor widow of Luke 2 with just two copper coins or the rich young ruler of Matthew 19 who had plenty of money, God will bless us as we give out of what He has given us. That can be overdone – like my grandchildren experienced this
Christmas. But, it can also be underdone. There is great need in this world. Some of it is material, more of it is
spiritual. We are responsible to respond to both.
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demandthe more.” Luke 12:48. This is true whether we have been entrusted with riches or with understanding of the scriptures and the power of God…..or both.
As we move forward in 2012, what do we have that we need to give and to whom do we need to give it?