The Sayings of Jesus: It is Better to Give than to Receive

April 28 2013”The Sayings of Jesus: It is Better to Give Than to Receive” Psalm 148, *Acts 20.25-38

There is something about good news that compels us to share it. The good news of the gospel was so exciting to the apostle Paul that he risked life and limb traveling far and wide to share it. He heard God call him to share his spiritual story, to share the light he had in his heart, to share great wisdom that could solve big problems, healing that could restore and relationship advice that could save them. Paul traveled wherever there was an open door to tell folks that God is love and that there is nothing we can’t do together if we trust in that love. He found many open doors, many ready hearts, many souls willing to dedicate their lives. He even found some obstacles. Nothing could stop him; he was on a mission.

He summarizes his work in verse 35 of chapter 10 of the Acts of the Apostles, saying, …I have worked and raised my own money for this mission. I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ’ …That’s Paul’s bottom line: that the weak would be supported by the strong. We’ve made a Covenant to give our all as the Spirit guides us, to support the weak. Who ARE the weak? All of US. We all need each other at one point or another. We all have blessings God leads us to share, no matter what situation may turn our life around and upside down.

We are the beloved community. We are children of the most high God, we have a heavenly father who is on our side and helps us from the inside out to live a life of giving and sharing in miraculous and marvelous ways. Even when we feel all is lost, God is on our side.

There was an outstanding five-year-old soccer goalie who played against another team whose players were also very good. This goalie played his heart out, but the other team began to score on him. After the third goal was scored against him, he could see it was no use; he couldn't stop them. He didn't quit, but he fell to his knees and cried the tears of the helpless and brokenhearted.

The boy’s father ran as fast as he could onto the field and said, "Scotty, I'm so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son."

"Daddy," the boy sobbed, "I couldn't stop them. I tried, Daddy, I tried and tried, and they scored on me." * Since God controls the game, we are all winners, no matter what our situation.

There is an old saying, “Those who need love the most are those who least deserve it.” Have you ever complained to God that someone is falling short, getting on your last nerve? Have you ever barely breathed out their name when the Spirit interrupts you and says, “That’s my son…my daughter.” It is as if God is saying, “That’s MY child your complaining about.  My love and compassion for them is greater than any complaints and criticism I have against them.  As we understand the intensity of God’s love for us, how God treasures each one of us, we will work to imitate that love. We think of each other as a prize. We begin to get stronger in our ability to overlook their faults and see their needs. We come to understand that it is better to give love than to receive the satisfaction of complaining and criticizing!

When we hear Paul quote Jesus as saying, “It is better to give than to receive.” We think it is about money. It isn’t about money, but when we follow the Spirit’s lead and care for each other, we have enough and sometimes we have more than enough. We tend all the more to flow in love, flow in excellence, and flow in money, too.

Joy McLain was a blushing May bride. It wasn’t long before her husband’s casual drinking became excessive. She cried out to God, “I hate the stench of alcohol on his breath.” She heard God respond, “All sin is a stench to me.” “All sin is a stench to me.” She quickly realized she also needed to change, to trust God more, to turn to God’s word, learn to confront, learn to carefront. She understood that her grumbling and lack of forgiveness was a sin God wanted to help her with. She suffered for 22 years without the marriage she dreamed of. She learned to pray for holiness rather than happiness. She taught her children to conduct spiritual warfare, to pray for their home, for their father, for their future as a family.

When the drinking led to violence, Joy made a plan to leave the home with her two teen daughters and son when Mark was at work. The plan got a little confused and one of the daughters was left behind. When Mark came home drunk, the teen left behind felt a tremendous peace when a scripture about God’s protection came to her mind. As her father walked from room to room raging, opening each door, looking for his runaway family, she nestled safely in a corner. He stopped in front of the door, but he did not open it. Instead he left and drove away. At one point in the year, the 16 year old began cutting, feeling worthless and disgusting, not even wanting to be touched at Christmas. She said thoughts of driving her car into a pole regularly seeped into her mind.

In spite of their struggles, the family kept the covenant. They sought God’s help first and foremost. In several years, they began to forgive and wait on God to change their hearts. In 2007, they renewed their wedding vows.

Every day we wake up, we are a Covenant family. We seek God’s help and guidance for our lives and our church. Today, the Haines family has joined Bethel. We have renewed our covenant with them. God is with us.  When God comes to church, hearts are touched and lives are transformed. Sins are forgiven and relationships are restored. Hope is gained and healing happens. This is what it means to be a covenant family. This is what it means to be a church. Let it happen. Let’s not stand in God’s way. Let it happen without delay.

In the DC area, I visited an 80 year old lady whose son remembered her being very mean when he was growing up. Now in her golden years he struggled to forgive. She spent most of her time in a semi-comatose state, but I felt an urgent need to visit her and sing even though I had no clue as to why except God always has a purpose and plan. Those weeks of visits were amazingly peaceful for me as I did as I was called to do for her. It is better to give than it is to receive.

When we dedicate ourselves as a covenant family with the attitude of giving our all, God always meets us and has something for us. When we come only with the idea of receiving, we miss the best of what God has for us. Giving always means receiving, but receiving does not always mean we are giving.

One of my favorite praise songs says,

Come, now is the time to give your heart

One day ev'ry tongue will confess You are God

One day ev're knee will bow

Still the greatest treasure remains for those,

Who gladly choose you now.

Sometimes we think of our commitment to the church as a selfless act, but it has enormous benefits. Recent research according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the world is getting more and more depressed and anxious, but attending church increases our mental health and wellbeing.

Children tell me that bullying happens in their schools and not even the teachers can stop it. God can help us to help our children, if we are ready to listen and to act accordingly.  

We live well compared to so many in this world. Perhaps that is why Americans are great givers. Remember the lady bullied by school kids. She received thousands of dollars with which to take a vacation. She may have even been able to quit her job. There were generous donations after the tsunami in Indonesia and Japan, and the earthquake in Haiti. Twenty-six million has been donated for the victims of the bombing in Boston in just a few days. So often it feels good to give. The world has set a high standard. God’s standards are even higher. We are called to give at the impulse of God’s love, to give when it looks good as well as when no one else sees. There may be times when we are called to give our all even though we feel resentful, angry, frustrated, put upon, or afraid. We know the scriptures say, “Give and it shall be given to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over,” but it is still an emotional challenge to be a cheerful giver when you are unemployed, underemployed, unforgiving, or otherwise living outside of the will of God.

We may give ourselves a good dose of guilt about our giving. We do need to be guilty enough to repent, but we also need to see ourselves as the beautiful, precious, forgiven, and loved creation as God sees us. Gil Zamora is a forensic artist who worked for the San Jose police Department from 1995-2011. After he retired, he participated in an advertising activity wherein he sketched people’s faces as they described themselves hidden behind a petition. He then sketched that same person as someone else described them. Then he placed the two sketches side by side. Each time, a comparison of the two pictures showed that we see each other in a more favorable light than we see ourselves.

It is time to get with God’s program and see what God sees, his beautiful children, sharing as if they know for sure it is better to give than it is to receive. Amen.

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