Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

We Get To Give

2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

THEME OF THE DAY. WE GET TO GIVE. One of the most heart-warming dialogues found in scripture is the Apostle Paul’s final instructions to the believers, particularly elders, in Ephesus (Acts 20:17-28). Take time to read it soon. It is not only for church leaders but good for all Christian relationships. It overflows with love, sound advice, wise warnings, transparency, vulnerability, and commitment. In many ways, it serves as an excellent “template” to build our relationships with other Christians.

As Paul winds down his heart-felt sharing, his last words to these dear brothers and sisters are – “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). Within these final instructions are two important applications for us. They direct us to living life as Jesus and Paul did – for the good of others.

First, if we are to be like Jesus and the Apostle Paul in living for others, we must be committed to hard work – “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak.” Serving the needs of others is hard work in at least three ways. First, we must see the needs in other people. This is hard work because it requires we get our eyes off ourselves and focus on others. For instance, I won’t be involved in your life if I don’t observe your life. And our bent toward selfishness is strong. It takes hard work to deny oneself to serve others. Another way meeting the needs of others is hard work is the requirement of time. Friends, it takes time to encourage the discouraged, feed the hungry, befriend the suffering, and invest in people. Time is precious and cruel; precious because it is the most important thing we give to people, and cruel for it waits on no one. Controlling what gets the use of our time is hard work if we want to be like Jesus and Paul. A third reason why serving people is hard is the cost of personal resources. This means self-denial. It might mean money, it will certainly mean time, and both of those demand self-denial. If we are going to serve the needs of God’s people, it will be sacrificial in giving of our resources. And that might be difficult labor for some of us; to deny ourselves pleasure for others.

A second lesson we learn from Paul’s final instructions to these dear believers in Ephesus is the way to true happiness is not by getting, but giving – “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’. Everybody likes to get gifts, but I am certain all of us have enjoyed the pleasure of giving gifts. These words of Jesus are really true. It is the miserable person who is always receiving and never giving. That is the height of sinful selfishness – always being a taker not a giver. Yet, here is where happiness is found. Start making it a daily event to give of ourselves to others. Be creative and obedient. Our “joy meter” will go up when we realize “God gives to us so that we may give to others” as illustrated in today’s scripture.

May the Lord help us in our desire and pursuit of being like Himself, like His servant the Apostle Paul in learning it really is more blessed to give than receive.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to see all I receive from You is to be shared with others.”

QUOTE: “God gives to us that we may give to others. Joy comes in sharing not hoarding.”