More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

It seems as if this congregation has suffered a lot of hardships lately. Sister Jewell fell and broke her ankle in three places, Brother Dillon has had a fever and sore throat, and Brother Van Tassel got injured with a stake ponder. I am sure none of these three individuals wanted to be in his or her situation. Sister Jewell even offered to trade Brother Dillon a stuffy head for a broken ankle!

We would all gladly give away something we do not want. In fact, if someone else has something that we think is better for us, we would trade for it. On the other hand, would we be willing to accept something we may not want but need? Would we be glad to get rid of something that we may not need but want, although it would be a greater benefit to someone else?

The apostle Paul said, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).’”

There are two things to notice about Paul’s statement here. First, he demonstrated how to support the weak. He did so by laboring! If we are to help others, we need to work as Christ worked for us. Second, he recalls that Jesus taught about giving. God gave Jesus to us; Jesus gave Himself for our sins (John 3:16). We need to be more givers than receivers.

Next week the brethren from Wood Avenue will be here to give of themselves to us. They will be laboring by knocking doors, teaching children, and conducting a gospel meeting. What will we give them? May we labor with them by inviting others to the gospel meeting, knocking doors, and working with Sonshine Family Camp. May we also give next week (and always)!