It is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

An Israeli tour guide, David, claimed Jesus gave only eight Beatitudes but David knew there was a ninth: Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be broken. That makes perfect sense for a tour guide who has constant disruptions over things he cannot control. (I’ve added this to my axioms, too.) While Matthew recorded eight, Paul truly did give us Jesus’ ninth Beatitude in Acts 20:35.

I have yet to meet anyone who said they intentionally want to live a miserable, rotten and cursed life. However, we often set ourselves up exactly for that if we follow the wrong script. Our culture tells us many false things. Believing that life is about grabbing instead of giving is easy to do. However, if I can give to others that means I have a surplus. If we can give, we are not dependent on another. If we can give, we have an abundance we can share. In Acts 20, the Apostle Paul is vulnerable in describing part of his struggles. I cannot imagine how difficult it was for him to live out his faith (which of course, ended in martyrdom).

Most of us can recall a time when we were struggling with something financial, emotional, relational or physical—then someone did something that gave us a boost. They said an encouraging word, gave us a gift, listened to us talk, changed a flat tire, gave up their seat, or held open a door. We can remember how their courtesy and kindness made us feel, whether it was a big deal or quite trivial. We can also recall doing that for others—and how that made us feel, too.

Our theme this week is GENEROSITY. Few of us find that generosity is our natural response because we are inherently selfish. Although it is not our natural inclination, we will find tremendous joy and fulfillment through acts of generosity. We do not have to be rich to be generous: abundance is a matter of the heart.