Paul quoting the words of the Lord Jesus said in Acts 20: 35, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’ In the aforesaid verse, he said we must support the weak, remembering what Jesus said. Giving than receiving cannot be done ordinarily by human endeavor but by God’s grace. To that extent, Acts 20: 36 says when he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. Without prayer and divine support and guidance, we will fall short of this requirement.
The charge was directed at supporting the weak, the needy, the poor etc. in all spheres of life because the weak etc. cannot reciprocate what they receive, hence giving must be unconditional. Giving than receiving reflects God’s nature of love and kindness which is divine. God never waited for us to pay or provide security for our redemption before giving us Jesus Christ. Romans 5: 8 says, God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. This is because human beings are weak in every respect, and self-insufficient to pay for our redemption.
God’s divine principle of giving
God’s divine principle is that whoever gives faithfully receives bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9: 6 says, the point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. If we bless the weak etc. with love and kindness, God will reciprocate with love and kindness. Whatever we give to the weak is giving to God. He may reciprocate not in the same form but in other ways which no human mind can comprehend. Jesus said in Mark 4: 24, Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.
Jesus said in Matthew 10: 42; Mark 9: 41, whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. What we give does not get lost but comes back to us as a blessing if done with a good heart and not reluctantly. 2Corinthians 9: 7 says each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Giving to those who can pay back fails to receive the desired effect of giving.
Giving must be unconditional
Jesus said in Luke 6: 33-34, if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you have hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. Following Jesus’ example, Paul wrote in Hebrews 13: 16, do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. God sacrificed his only begotten Son for our redemption. John 3: 16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
Giving must not be an empty promise. James 2: 14-17 say, what good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. We must honour God with giving from the heart and in faith that God will pay back to us. Our reluctance to give comes from selfishness or greed or lack of faith or unwillingness to sacrifice for God.
Giving must involve sacrifice
David said in 2Samuel 24: 24; 1Chronicles 21: 24, I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that costs me nothing. This was when David refused acceptance of a free land upon which he was to build an altar to the Lord. The element of sacrifice in giving is what pleases God most because it befits God. God said in Exodus 22: 25, if you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. Exacting interest on a loan will compound the very burden of the poor which God wants to alleviate through us. The blessings lie in the sacrifice we make.
In giving, we must forgo our pride, and not be rude because the essence of giving is love. 1Corinthians 13: 4 says love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Paul wrote in Colossians 3: 12, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. As God’s children, every act of deed must be directed at pleasing God, not the poor and needy we see. 1Corinthians 10: 31 says so, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Do we give for the glory of God?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, bless our hearts to give generously in sacrifice for your glory just as you came to die for us whilst we were yet sinners to save our perishing souls. May your Holy Spirit continually remind us of your unfailing love so we may extend the same to the weak in all spheres of life. Forgive us where we have given reluctantly or failed to do what is expected of us. Help us to share what you have graciously given to us to your glory and honour. We pray in your holy name, Amen!!
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