More Blessed to Give

June 25

2 Kings 13-14

Psalm 74:18-23

Proverbs 16:20-21

Acts 20

More Blessed to Give

“In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  Acts 20:35 LSB

These words attributed to Jesus by Paul are not found in the four gospels, but Paul seems to be telling the Ephesians something they are familiar with.  John 20:30 explains, “Therefore many other signs Jesus also did in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book,” and John 21:25 goes even further, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written one after the other, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”  This may have been a saying passed down orally by the apostles.  It is certainly consistent with His teachings and His actions.  Jesus came to earth for the specific purpose of giving Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.  He left the splendor of heaven for us.  He suffered pain, rejection, heartache, and death for us.  His life was an example of sacrificial giving. 

This saying is certainly not one that is popular today.  “Look out for number 1,” “Gimme, gimme, gimme,”  “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine,” and “What’s in it for me?” are a better description of the mindset of most people regarding giving.  So what does it mean that it is more blessed to give than to receive?  How are we blessed by giving?  Does that mean that if we give generously to others, we will receive material blessings in return?  I think the blessings Paul is referring to are much more valuable.  Giving produces compassion, love, mercy and kindness toward others.  Instead of encouraging self-centeredness, it takes our minds off ourselves and helps us to focus on the needs of others.  This is increased further when we give of our time and energy to serve others.  The sense of joy and fulfillment we get from meeting the needs of others both materially and in service provides blessings we cannot experience any other way.  Giving demonstrates faith.  When we give sacrificially to others we are showing that we trust God to take care of our needs.  Instead of hoarding what we have in case we need it in the future, giving expresses faith that God will meet our needs when they arise and we can give generously now to help others.  It also demonstrates contentment in what God has provided for us.  Instead of always wanting more, we are content with what we have so we can give to meet the needs of others.  And giving is an act of obedience.  When God prompts our hearts to give, He is pleased when we are obedient to follow His leading.  There is a tremendous peace that comes from obedience.  It is truly more blessed to give than receive.