Receive to Give

We know the saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. I think we all believe that this statement is true. There is uncontainable joy in giving. We read it so clearly in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11:  

“Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.”

 There is an undeniable joy in giving. A generous, cheerful, giving heart is what God desires in us, but we also see in this verse that the Lord GIVES us blessings too. 

What about the moments when it’s your turn to receive? What if I told you that receiving is actually the prerequisite to giving? 

Did you know that in child development studies it has revealed that as a child matures and develops, he/she must learn to receive first in order to be able to learn to give? A child must learn how to receive verbal praise, instruction, and correction so that he/she can be guided and shaped. A child must also learn how to receive help, encouragement, and love. A sign of maturity is when a child is able to receive. When a child learns how to receive, he/she can then give. 

I find this so fascinating. As children of God, we learn to receive God’s love first. As we develop and deepen our relationship with God, we can then give His love to the people we encounter in our life’s journey. Receive and give. 

Let’s read what God has for us to receive:

Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father!” 

Here we see that we receive the spirit of adoption as sons and daughters and that marks our identity and foundation. 

In Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Here we read that we receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us so then we can go and give the testimony of what Jesus has done for us! 

Just think for a moment how humbling it is to receive an unexpected gift. If you are a gift-giver in your own right, you know how hard it can be to receive a gift without wanting to give one in return, right? Some of you might be cringing at that thought!  (That’s the receiving part for you to work on and not the, “I don’t have a gift to give back” part...)

It is such a humble feeling to be blessed when a gift is given, isn’t it?

If you are the gift giver, you experience the joy of giving. If you are the receiver of the gift, you experience the blessing of the gift. 

We have been given a precious gift. It is God’s love. In 1 John 4:19, it says, “We love because He first loved us.” When we receive God’s love first, we are then able to give it.  

1 John 4: 7-11 speaks about God’s love:

 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  

 A sign of maturing in our walk with the Lord is receiving His love. Once we have received it, then we must live a life that is a reflection of these verses. 

Maybe it’s time to check on how we are receiving so that we can continue to give even more! I need to receive just as much as I need to give. This is something that has been illuminating in my heart recently especially in the community in which I live. I love community. Community is a makeup of people, organizations, businesses, and schools who help one another by caring, giving, and receiving.

God has designed people to be in relationship with one another - to be in community. To help each other and support when needed. Think of the impact that can be made when the children of God come together, alongside our communities, to give what we have received from our Father. And we can be assured that when God gives us something, it is far better than anything we could have gotten on our own. 

I am challenged by this!  Are we receiving what God has prepared for us so that we can be givers in this world?  May we all be receivers and give well. 

Bethany Marshall