| Series: Principle of Sow & Reaping |Scripture: Acts 20:32–20:35
ListenPrinciple of Sow & Reaping
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
I have heard good things about you. The person I was speaking with told me how amazed they are at how this relatively small group of folks have made such a huge impact on the lives of many in your community. Well done!
Last week you talked about the fact that everybody hurts, but not everybody cares. It occurs to me that I have, when confronted with the needs of others, have spent some time on both sides of the fence. Either caring (meeting the need of a hurting person) or not caring (ignoring the situation). I suspect most of us as individuals fall somewhere in that spectrum. As a body of believers it’s a different story isn’t it? Aren’t we better together than we could ever be alone? Based on what I have heard about you I suspect you would much rather be meeting needs rather than ignoring them.
As individuals it helps if we have a perspective to reflect on. After all it’s simply a decision as to whether or not we are going to, when confronted with a hurting person’s need, meet the need or ignore it.
Rob has asked that we explore this subject today, so let’s start with scripture.
32 “Now I am putting you in the care of God and the message about his grace. It is able to give you strength, and it will give you the blessings God has for all his holy people. 33 When I was with you, I never wanted anyone’s money or fine clothes. 34 You know I always worked to take care of my own needs and the needs of those who were with me. 35 I showed you in all things that you should work as I did and help the weak. I taught you to remember the words Jesus said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:32-35 (NCV)
Wait a minute! I don’t remember Jesus saying that it is more blessed to give than to receive. So I went on a search through the New Testament and sure enough I couldn’t find it any ware. And then it dawned on me. Not every word Jesus spoke was recorded in the Gospels. After Paul’s conversion, the disciples did life together. We can only imagine the conversations that took place between the followers who had spent time with Jesus physically and the followers like us who believe without seeing. My point is this; we have been given a great gift. The living word of God. From Genesis through Revelation.
If we only focus on the Gospels as an example, in this instance, we would never know that Jesus said; “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Now that we know, this could be our focal point. Our perspective to reflect on when confronted with the need of a hurting person.
With Jesus’ words in the forefront of our minds, there is something else remaining which is the most important aspect of our discussion. That is; what did Jesus mean when he said that?
Think back a few minutes to my opening statement. What came to mind when you heard me say ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive?’ ” …….. If I were to say that in a room full of several hundred folks how many different ideas and interpretations do you imagine there would be? I imagine each one of you might come up with two or more possible interpretations yourselves.
With that reality in mind, I would really like to know specifically what Jesus meant. The only safe and responsible way for that to happen is follow the instruction we have been given in James 1:25.
That instruction is- But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed (happy) in what they do. James 1:25 (NIV)
So with this in mind we look intently and find that in the original language the word blessed in the Acts passage, simply means happy. If we were to reword this it would go something like this: you will be happier to give than to receive.
It’s interesting to note that the word blessed translated in the James passage is the same word meaning happy.
Now there is something I want to be very clear about. As we read the scriptures we find the word blessed many times in various passages. It’s extremely important to remember the word blessed may not be translated from a word having the same meaning everywhere it is used.
The word blessed as an example in Genesis 5:2 which reads; 2 He created them male and female, and He blessed them… the word for blessed in the original language in this passage is translated from a word that means abundance.
Please allow me to point out that what we are doing right now is “looking intently into the law.” We have a responsibility to know and not guess at what God desires for us to know and would have us understand and believe about him. We must handle the word of God responsibly in order to be good and faithful servants. I for one do not want to be found miss-representing who he is.
To bring home the point, what if we believed that the purpose behind giving to others was to be rewarded with abundance?
Let’s re-write the passage like that: it is more abundant to give than to receive, or God will give us more stuff if we give stuff to others. Sounds like a prosperity gospel to me. I can say with all honesty I have never found lasting happiness in any material possession. You see the point!
If you are unhappy turn to James 1:25 and just do it!
Ok so we are now armed with a truth regarding what we can expect our emotional outcome will be if we give. We are often confronted with the opportunity to give someone in need what is needed. It may be food, clothing, money or a listening ear. It could be a ride, help with a resume, advice or just being there for them.
The example Jesus set for us is one of extravagant giving. From an encouraging word to a meal for the hungry, healing of the body, restoration back into society all the way to his blood which gives eternal life.
So what are we to do with what we know?
What I believe we are to do with this because it’s not a direct command like the great commission, we are to view this as a life principle.
Let’s talk about that for a moment.
Life principle is defined as: A hypotheticalforce to which the functions and qualitiespeculiar to living things are sometimesascribed
Now in plain English it goes something like this: If we do a certain thing we can expect a certain outcome. As it relates to giving, when we give we can expect to be happy. But I believe we need to take it at least one step further.
Have you ever given and it didn’t make you happy? Perhaps it made you angry, or resentful or irritated……. Do you recall what Jesus said in Luke 21 regarding the widow who gave two copper coins? What she gave was very small but yet Jesus said it was much greater than those who gave great amounts from their surplus.
Imagine the people in this account. Jesus obviously is there standing by the place of collection. There is the widow, the disciples, and the members of the synagogue. The widow gives all she has to live on. Think about that for a minute…… How happy would we be if we had enough faith to give back to God all that we had to live on? …… I can also imagine that some of the wealthy were resentful because they felt an obligation to give in order to maintain their standing in the community. So……who was happy and who was not?
As with any principle there is something we have to do in order to benefit by experiencing the expected outcome. Just like we can expect to experience the negative consequence if we violate the principle.
In the move Bruce Almighty, Bruce finally surrenders his will to God, drops to his knees on the road and prays for God to take control of his life. The next seen is in heaven and Bruce is surprised to learn he is dead. God explains that you can’t kneel down in the middle of the highway and expect to live to tell about it.
I believe what we are to learn from this by this principle is very simple. It’s not the act of giving that is at work here. It’s our attitude that matters. Like our decision to care or not care for the person that is hurting, we have the power to be happy in our giving or not. Are we giving from a sense of gratitude for what Jesus has done or a sense of obligation with resentment? But it doesn’t stop there.
I have a close friend who often laments that he can’t help when confronted with the financial needs of others because he doesn’t have the financial resources. Please know however I have seen him give sacrificially many times.
I remind him that we can’t give what we don’t have. But that’s not the end of the story. It occurs to me that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of what we do and have making the best use of our time, talents, gifts, and resources so we personally (out time) and our resources (financial and otherwise) exist and are available to God for us to give.
In my friends case he hasn’t worked a real job for the 15 years I’ve known him. How could he expect to have resources to give?
Ephesians 4:28 teaches us everyone must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (NIV)
Are you doing everything you can to live your life in such a way that you and your resources are available to give back to God?
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You all know I’m not delivering this message because I’ve got this all together in my own life right. I do not so what we are doing here today it’s as much for me as anyone else who it will benefit…..
What’s your debt situation? Are you so encumbered with credit card debt, school loans, vehicle payments and expensive toys that you have nothing left after you pay your other bills?......... If so you are in bondage to our creditors. In a state of bondage we are not totally available to God. We have very little or nothing to give. Worse yet we are serving two masters, money and God. We all know that doesn’t work.
If so, do you have a plan committed to God to get out of debt and live debt free?
The last thing I want to touch on is our time. Are you a good steward of your time? Are you self-centered with your time or are you available to God?
I’m not sure if there is a scriptural guideline for our time. It seems to me that if you don’t feel right about how much time you spend in service something is probably out of whack.
How we spend our time and how we spend our money says a lot about where our hearts are.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
But there is one another important aspect I would like to talk about before we close.
We find it in 1 Corinthians 13:3
It reads………If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3 (NCV)
Everything we have been talking about today is meaningless apart from love.
What I desire for myself and for others is to learn to truly live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, and all that I do and say would be from an attitude of giving myself first totally to God, then to others out of a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude. Walking in our masters footsteps, doing what Jesus did.
The challenge for all of us today is to so order our lives that we can experience the fullness of the abundant life he desires for us and know that we know that “it’s more blessed to give than receive.”
Pray with me please!