Receiving

Good morning!

Did you know that there are words in the New Testament attributed to Jesus, but which do not appear in any of the four Gospels?  I really had not considered this until this morning.  I was on my way back to John 19 (where I left off in exposition of the book of John, waiting for Passion Week to approach), when I encountered this verse in Acts 20:35 - -

In everything I did I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:  "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Even though Acts was written by Luke, this verse is part of Luke's record of Paul bidding farewell to the Ephesian church.  Paul was most certainly a "giver".  Everywhere he went, he paid his own way, usually by working as a tentmaker.  He possessed a skill that was, in his day, extremely marketable and transferrable from location to location.  It would be good for every one of us to possess such a skill in these uncertain times.

However, let's focus this morning on Jesus' words.  More blessed to give than to receive...

Obviously, Paul is saying here that, as believers, we are to have compassion on those whom God places in our paths, that we are to give of our time, talents, resources and hearts to others.  But, I wonder which is harder for the Christian - - - giving?  Or receiving?

The sin of pride comes into play here.  If giving is not done out of a pure and humble heart, pride can creep in and taint our gifts.  (See Matthew 6:1-34.)  Conversely, but similarly, pride prevents many from receiving gifts from others.

Yesterday, as you know from the "non-post" I posted, I was ill.  My husband ministered to me as I lay in the bed, unable to get up and "take care of business".  The most I was able to do was to cancel my obligations for the day.  He tended to the house, made me some chicken noodle soup, brought me water, aspirin, thermometer...you get the idea.   I was grateful to him for his help, thankful for him... and thankful that I was not incapacitated for more than 24 hours!

The first person to whom we should turn for help is our Savior.  Psalm 107:28-30 is actually a prophecy about Messiah (those O.T. prophecies turn up in the oddest of places...).

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.

This is fulfilled in Matthew 8:23-27 and also in Mark 4:38-40.  Here is the latter passage:

38Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"…

And, then, Jesus and His disciples sailed on uneventfully to their destination.  In this situation the disciples were desperate to "receive" from Christ.  As they knew He was their only hope, so should we turn and receive from Him daily, whether we are "in dire straits" or not.  Most often, however, we try to handle things in our own strength, do we not?

My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth.  

Psalm 121:2

More commonly, when we are offered help from others, we refuse it, often because of pride. We fail to recognize that our Lord works through others to provide His help to us.   I'm not talking about enablement and cultural dependency here - - - a lifestyle of "living on the dole".  I'm talking about someone with an immediate need, that need being recognized by another, and that friend being prompted by the Holy Spirit to help.  Yet, the intended recipient turns away, refusing the help.  In so doing, the intended recipient denies both herself and the intended giver a blessing!  Have you ever thought about that?  God blesses the giver by giving her the opportunity to serve and the receiver a blessing through receiving!  Don't let your pride deny both you and your friends/loved ones a blessing.  Receive what the Lord brings to you today, whether it be through a word in Scripture, an answer to prayer, the loving acts of friends, loved ones...even strangers(!)  Receive, and be thankful.

Dear Father, teach us to be watchful and wary of the sin of pride in both our giving and in our receiving.  Open our eyes to both opportunities to give and also to receive.  May we be quick to act when Your Spirit presents a need in the lives of others.  May we look to You for all our needs and then graciously accept Your provision.   In Jesus' name, amen.