more blessed to give than receive – Somerset Church of Christ

God commands us to give. Not just monetarily, but Jesus says that anyone who wants to follow him must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow him. Greater love is defined by the person willing to lay down his life for his brothers. Giving is never commanded just because. In other words, it’s not commanded simply because God says so. There’s a very important principle of proportioned giving in the Bible. We give according to what God has provided. And we do it as a first fruits–we give to God first by providing for the needy before doing anything else with our blessings.

Paul took up a collection for Christians in Jerusalem. He said to the Corinthian church: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). He continues: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (vs. 7). Some people push a tithe of 10% but that was a law specifically to provide for the tribe of Levi since their full-time work was to serve God. Paul is urging to give cheerfully, not under compulsion, and as one has decided in his heart.

The amount will vary greatly from person-to-person. God is not looking at the amount. He’s looking at the heart. Are we generous with what God has blessed us with or are we stingy? Are we irritated that we are giving or are we excited? When speaking to the Ephesian elders, Paul quoted Jesus and said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Paul is not preaching in a vacuum. He alludes to Malachi 3:10 when quoting Jesus: “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” God has always loved a cheerful giver!

Paul was a vocational evangelist. He was a tent maker by trade. He often told churches that he intentionally did not seek financial support from them, lest they come back and say he was “robbing” them. Paul worked very hard in everything he did. And he also gave. He gave of his time, money, and heart.

When he was on the beach at Miletus with the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 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 ESV).

There is an old adage: “You get back what you put in.” This is true of life. The person who works hard gets promoted. The one who gives of her time, money, and energy reaps a crop of righteousness. This doesn’t mean that those who give will be materially wealthy. But it does mean that those blessings will spread and endure. Others will be blessed. Kingdom work will be blessed. The poor will be provided for. They’ll be fed and clothed. The injured will have their wounds dressed and will find healing.

But we have to be willing to give. When we have the means to give, we should be extremely generous. Ultimately, we need to be willing to lay down our lives for others. We need to be giving of our talents, our tithes, and our time. Let’s challenge ourselves to give more and see how God blesses!

Photo by Tom Parsons on Unsplash

Tag: more blessed to give than receive

The cheerful giver

It’s More Blessed to Give Than to Receive