Is it More Blessed to Give or to Receive?

One of the first verses I learned as a child was Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” The message of this verse is an important one – serving others should be an integral part of our daily lives. Scripture reiterates this command and Jesus’ life is the greatest example of service in the history of the world.

Then how can I ask the question, “Is it more blessed to give or to receive?”

The reason I ask it is to make us think. It is important to give of ourselves, yet it is also important to receive. There are times in our lives when we need to receive graciously from others. This is not always an easy thing to do. When others help us, our natural tendency is to want to give back an equal portion of what they’ve given us.

This week I needed to accept help from a friend. She lovingly took many hours out of her busy week to help me with an emergency project at my home. I wanted to make her dinner or buy her a gift certificate to help “compensate” for the extra time she spent helping me. When I asked her when I could bring her family dinner, she told me, “Gretchyn, if you bring me dinner I really will be mad at you! Just accept my help and say ‘thank you.’”

Those were powerful words. It was humbling for me to accept her help and not give her anything in return, but in the process I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes we are supposed to sacrificially give, and other times we are supposed to graciously receive.

Christ offered us the free gift of eternal life and all we need to do to spend eternity with Him is to receive it. God wants us to accept the gift of his Son. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we naturally start wanting to share His love with others – that’s where the giving comes in.

Maybe I can answer my first question with another question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” What I’m trying to say is that while Scripture tells us it is more blessed to give than to receive, God has asked us to do both.

Scripture: Acts 20:35, Matthew 10:8, John 1:12, I Timothy 1:15-16

Prayer: Lord, Your Word says it is more blessed to give than to receive. I know You want me to share my time and talents to help others. I want to see needs around me and serve others out of a heart of love for You. I also realize that I need to receive help when others want to bless me. Please show me how to be a sacrificial giver and also a gracious receiver.