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
It is difficult to explain the gift of joy that comes from giving to others. A bottle of water to a homeless man on a hot, summer day; a much needed dollar to the elderly woman in the grocery store line; an encouraging word to a downtrodden friend…the list goes on and on. There have been countless occasions where I can personally attest that I have benefited more from giving than receiving. Giving is an often overlooked and even detested privilege that all of us have been blessed with. Everyone has something to give. Some of us have a greater capacity to give monetarily; others have more time to share; and still most of us can, at least, give a smile or “Good morning,” to someone on a gloomy day. We all have something to give.
Beyond our mere ability to give is the blessedness and joy of giving. Personally, giving helps remind me of how much I have been given; grace, mercy, salvation, etc. For myself and fellow followers of Jesus Christ, this reminder alone should cause us to stop in our tracks and help others when it is in our ability to do so. As if an internal prompting of gratitude to my Father were not enough; my soul leaps for joy when I can help relieve the stress, troubles or needs of another. There is something about giving that is purely joyful. I can’t place my finger on it but it simply feels good to give. Perhaps it is because in doing so I feel as if I have purpose in the world at that exact moment or maybe it is because giving helps me feel as though I am continuing the mission of Jesus Christ; I honestly am not sure why it feels so good to give. Maybe it is a part of a divine, internal reward system created by God so long ago. While I know that God will bless those that help others, the internal joy I am presently speaking of, is not rooted in a specific desire to receive something from God. Instead this joy is found in giving with no expectation of receiving. The best type of giving is that which is humbly, lovingly and cheerfully done. I encourage you to give something to someone today and embrace to mere joy that comes from doing so.
It is difficult to explain the gift of joy that comes from giving to others. A bottle of water to a homeless man on a hot, summer day; a much needed dollar to the elderly woman in the grocery store line; an encouraging word to a downtrodden friend…the list goes on and on. There have been countless occasions where I can personally attest that I have benefited more from giving than receiving. Giving is an often overlooked and even detested privilege that all of us have been blessed with. Everyone has something to give. Some of us have a greater capacity to give monetarily; others have more time to share; and still most of us can, at least, give a smile or “Good morning,” to someone on a gloomy day. We all have something to give.
Beyond our mere ability to give is the blessedness and joy of giving. Personally, giving helps remind me of how much I have been given; grace, mercy, salvation, etc. For myself and fellow followers of Jesus Christ, this reminder alone should cause us to stop in our tracks and help others when it is in our ability to do so. As if an internal prompting of gratitude to my Father were not enough; my soul leaps for joy when I can help relieve the stress, troubles or needs of another. There is something about giving that is purely joyful. I can’t place my finger on it but it simply feels good to give. Perhaps it is because in doing so I feel as if I have purpose in the world at that exact moment or maybe it is because giving helps me feel as though I am continuing the mission of Jesus Christ; I honestly am not sure why it feels so good to give. Maybe it is a part of a divine, internal reward system created by God so long ago. While I know that God will bless those that help others, the internal joy I am presently speaking of, is not rooted in a specific desire to receive something from God. Instead this joy is found in giving with no expectation of receiving. The best type of giving is that which is humbly, lovingly and cheerfully done. I encourage you to give something to someone today and embrace to mere joy that comes from doing so.
RSS Feed