Trust MeSample

To Give or To Get?

Read: “You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).

Think: This verse made zero sense to me growing up. None whatsoever. How in the world could the person who gave me the Tecmo Bowl football game for my Nintendo at Christmas be more blessed than I was to receive it? I mean they spent their money, and I gained a game. That equation works out in my favor, right?

In a way, yes it does. I truly was the recipient of a game that I got to spend real time playing. I made memories, I relaxed. I sometimes yelled and threw controllers, but I got something and they gave up something. Certainly it is more blessed to receive than to give

But as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized the power of this promise. First of all, Jesus didn’t say that the receiver wasn’t blessed, but that the giver was more blessed. That’s important - gifts are indeed blessings and should be received as such. But the giver is still “blessed more.” How does that work?

When Jesus uses the word “blessing,” He is using a word that means “fulfilled, happy, joyful.” He is saying that giving makes you more fulfilled, more happy, more joyful than receiving. Why is that? Because humans are made in the image of God to love. And the highest expression of love is giving, not receiving. So we find our greatest fulfillment and consequently our greatest happiness when we live out our design - to love God and love others by giving, not receiving. And now that I look back on it, something tells me that the adult in the room who gave me Tecmo Bowl that Christmas was smiling bigger on the inside than I was on the outside!

Question: Who can I give to today? Who can I speak or text a word of encouragement to today? How can I love through giving of myself to those around me - in my family, work or school? 

Prayer: Loving Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us enough to give us your Son so that we might know what love is. Please help us not to grow weary in giving to those around us so that we might bless them, but also that we might receive the blessing of living as you have designed us to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Tim Rogers has been married to Jen for 23 years and together they live in Gap, PA with their three teenage children and one dog. Tim has served as Lead Pastor of Grace Point Church  in Paradise for 18 years.)