Why Is It More Blessed to Give Than to Receive?

Well, Sir Winston Churchill, who was the British Prime Minister at the end of World War II, was known for a number of insightful quotes. And as such, one of Churchill's statements goes like this. He says, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. And I thought, you know, that is insightful. Again, he says, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. It's a quote highlighting the blessedness of giving. And the fact that, you know, giving is not a blessing just to the receiver. But frankly, as God designed it, giving is a blessing to the giver as well. And there's much to be rejoiced in, not only from the receiving, but certainly as well by the heart of the giver. There is a cause and effect principle that Churchill was highlighting that goes on to highlight the giver in a way that we actually find in the Bible, in the words of Jesus Christ. And so I would like to focus in on that today, because there is a system which God has designed, which basically shows there is a return. There is a return to the giver, a blessing to the giver by the hand of God. And it's not that you give in order to get. That's not the point at all. But indeed, it shows that God's heart is in giving. And by extension, his desire is for our heart to be in giving as well. In the book of Acts chapter 20, I want to begin there today, we have the Apostle Paul encouraging the Ephesian elders. He's on his way back through up to Jerusalem. And in verse 35, he expresses a quote taken directly from Jesus Christ himself that illustrates this point on giving. So Acts chapter 20 and verse 35, Acts 20 verse 35, Paul says, I have shown you in every way by laboring like this that you must support the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. It's more blessed to give than to receive. You know, it's interesting because these words of Jesus Christ aren't found anywhere in the gospel. And some have even questioned, well, were these even his words? We would accept that they are. They're in God's word here. And clearly, Paul understood this expression. The elders in Ephesians seem to have understood this expression as well. It was probably carried down orally until Luke recorded it for us here in the book of Acts. But again, the words of Jesus Christ, it is more blessed. I was even asking Darla, I said, is it blessed or blessed? You know, it depends, I guess, which if you grew up under the King James or the new King James. It is more blessed, I'll say, to give than to receive. So that is my topic for today.

It's capturing what was on Jesus Christ's mind in terms of the concept of giving. And my title today, I'm just going to take it and flip it into a little bit of a question. Why is it more blessed to give than to receive? Let's see what the Bible says about that and consider how we ought to look at this process. Why is it more blessed to give than to receive? Why would Jesus say this? Why would Paul reiterate the point? And what is it that we can learn about how this principle works? I want to explore the concept today and essentially in four points to highlight why it is more blessed to give than to receive. And I'll just jump into point one. Point one, some people say, I like points. Kind of maybe brings things into a little cohesion. So point number one, it's more blessed to give than to receive because giving helps us to develop the character of God.

The act of giving helps us to develop the character of God. Let's first begin by recognizing that God the Father and Jesus Christ are givers, right? That's their nature. It's who and what they are. It's how they've expressed themselves towards us in this world and by extension is their desire for us to be givers as well. John chapter 3, which takes us into the territory of probably the most well-known verse in the Christian world, John chapter 3 and verse 16 highlights just how high of a priority God the Father puts on giving. John chapter 3 and verse 16, the words of Jesus Christ, and he says, For God so loved the world that he gave. The Father gave. What did he give? He gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

And so the Father's love for the world was so great, and it is so great, that he was willing to give and give something that was so incredibly important to him, the one who had been his companion from eternity, right? God with God, John 1-1, that one who became the anointed, who came as his son into the world, God gave his only begotten son that you and I might live. God the Father is a giver. And so is his son, Jesus Christ. John 6, verse 27, I just want to skip through a few verses briefly to highlight this point of the nature of the Father and the Son, John 6, verse 27.

Here Jesus says, do not labor for the food which perishes. You know, these crowds, these multitudes that were following him, and he'd done this incredible miracle, you know, taking a few fish in loaves and fed thousands, and they're looking for the next meal. What will he do next? And this crowd is following him, and he's like, don't labor for the food which perishes. That's physical food, eaten in a moment and gone in a moment. He said, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you. He says, because God the Father has set His seal on him. So Jesus says, I will give you this food that endures to everlasting life. Its value is eternal. Going over to verse 51, John chapter 6, verse 51, Jesus says, I am the bread of life which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. And so again, brethren, both God the Father and Jesus Christ are willing givers. They've given of themselves that they might open the door unto eternal life to us. And because this is their nature, it is their desire. It would be our nature as well. Those created in their image, those being brought along to be part of their eternal family, that the nature we are developing is that of the giving of ourselves for the good of others. Mark chapter 10, verse 45, tells us, for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give. Right? You can finish that, right? To give his life a ransom for many. Again, Mark 10, verse 45. And so when Jesus walked the earth in the flesh, his life was all about giving to others, pouring it out in service. And it wasn't necessarily a financial gift. In fact, primarily it was not a financial gift. It was a gift unto life that he was willing to give by his own life. John chapter 10, verse 27. John 10, verse 27, Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life.

I give them eternal life, Jesus says, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. And so the father and the son work together in this process of giving. They are in complete agreement in what they are giving, and the purpose of their giving, and what it is that they are working out in our life. And as such, they are unified givers.

Why? Why do God and Christ give such as they give? Why have they invested so much and given so much? Well, 2 Peter chapter 1 begins to crack the door open on that answer, and again, I think it's essential as well for our ability to be givers such as they are. 2 Peter chapter 1, and verse 2, we understand then why they give as they do.

2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2, Peter says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. So actually, if you know them, if you come to have a relationship with them, there's going to be grace, there's going to be mercy, there's going to be blessing that flows out from that. Verse 3, he says, As this divine power has given to us, it's given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. Verse 4, By which we have been given, again, given to us by them, exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And so the purpose behind the giving of the Father, the giving of the Son, and essentially all that they have to give towards us, is for the purpose of our being like them. Right? That's the purpose. There's a reason Jesus Christ gave his life and laid it down for us. There's a reason a Father has given forgiveness and extended that towards us for the remission of sins.

There's a reason God has given us his word, a reason he has given us his spirit, and indeed it is so that we would be like he is and like the Son is. This is expressed through their nature of giving, so that we would be, as Peter says, partakers of the divine nature, actually giving us their nature. It's an interactive process and we have to be participants in it, but again, to be partakers of the divine nature is to become in character and in likeness such as God the Father and Jesus Christ are.

It begins with the change in nature today. Ultimately, tomorrow, it will be in the change of their eternal likeness, right, at the return of Jesus Christ. So that is their goal. That is why they've given so much to us. And, brethren, when we give, it helps us to further develop our character into the likeness of God in Christ. They are givers, and when we give, we understand that mind and we become unified in that spirit of giving as God in Christ are.

Selfishness is released through giving, setting ourself aside, setting aside our human tendencies towards self-centeredness. Giving expands our world beyond just ourselves, and it moves us into the realm of actually sacrificial service, which indeed is what Jesus Christ did when he came and he laid his life down for this world. Sacrificial service, that's what we do. Giving of yourself for others. Again, the divine nature is the nature of giving, of ourselves, of our time, of our attention, of our resources, whatever they may be, of our skill.

It could be as simple as picking up the phone, right, and calling a shut-in and saying, I've been thinking about you. I haven't seen you at church for a while. How are you doing? Listening to what they have to say, praying for them, expressing, you know, I'm here.

If you, if there's anything you need, that is an act of giving to others. It could be sending a card in the mail. That might seem like a small thing, but it's a wonderful gift to receive. You open the mailbox, somebody's thinking of you. They've sent you a note. They've included you in their thoughts and their prayers, and that is an encouragement that we can give one to another. It doesn't have to be financial, although if you put a stamp on something today, it largely is more financial than it used to be, but people have that gift, and they extend that blessing to others through those forms of communication.

It could be uplifting the fatherless or the widow. Seeing those who perhaps don't have someone in the home, that would be the defender, the caretaker in that way of the family, and seeing where you can take them under your wing to help with a project around the house, to take them to dinner, to give them a ride to church, whatever it is that may be needed. And just because we may be a receiver in one of these areas, maybe you say, I'm a receiver.

I receive assistance from people. Maybe it's financial. Sometimes that's the assistance that goes out, but being a receiver does not mean that you cannot, in turn, be a giver as well. That there's ways, again, far beyond financial, that we can be givers to others in our life. And maybe sometimes it just means being creative about it and considering our own circumstances.

How can I give? You know, what has God given me that I can express to be a blessing to someone else? Peter says it's the corruption that's in the world through lust that we're escaping when we take on God's divine nature. The corruption that's in the world through lust. It's leaving behind the greed and the selfishness in favor of lifting up others alongside us towards our common goal, bringing people along in whatever degree you can give towards them in this journey to the kingdom of God, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust.

So point number one is giving helps us to develop the character of God. He is a giver. His son is a giver, and he's called us to be people who are givers onto others joyfully as well. Point number two, giving stores up true treasure in heaven. Again, the question is why is it more blessed to give than to receive? Receiving is a blessing, especially when there is a legitimate need. It is an incredible blessing, but why is it better? Why is it more blessed even to give than to receive? Well, again, giving stores up true treasure in heaven. Luke chapter 12 and verse 32. Again, the words of Jesus Christ.

Luke chapter 12 and verse 32, and this is actually kind of a transitional passage from the last point to this point. Luke chapter 12 and verse 32, Jesus says, do not fear, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So, again, everything that God the Father does, everything the Son does, is because they want you there in the family, in the kingdom, together for eternity, fulfilling what God has in store for us to be doing as his family for eternity.

But he says, I want you there. And he has given for that true expression. And it is your good pleasure, Jesus said, to give you the kingdom. Is it our good pleasure to give?

Sometimes it's our really good pleasure to receive. We love gifts, and that's normal, that's natural. But is it our good pleasure to give as much as it is God's good pleasure to give?

Well, in fact, Jesus shows us in verse 33. This should actually be our mindset as well. Verse 33, he says, sell what you have and give alms. Give offerings, give gifts, give to the poor. He says, take what you have and extend it out in a way that it becomes a blessing to others. Again, verse 33, sell what you have and give alms, provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail away, where neither thief approaches nor moth destroys. He says, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Or your treasure is there your heart will be also. You know, it doesn't mean we become poppers in this world. That's not what we're asked to do. Okay, we take this all in context, but the point is, you know, if our focus is on what we can accumulate for ourselves, for our good, we do have to provide for our families and what it is that we need.

But if that's our sole focus, it's inward as opposed to outward. Jesus says, actually, you're looking in the wrong place. That we must be about giving just as our Heavenly Father and Elder Brother do. And as we do, indeed, we are storing up good treasure in heaven. By contrast, so much of the world around us today has pleasure in taking, right, in accumulating and consuming for itself just as much as it possibly can.

And I'm not looking to put a rubber stamp on everybody. There are good people in this world who are successful, who are wealthy, and who give massively, who do wonderful projects in the world to take clean drinking water to the village in Africa, or whatever it may be. There are good people who do good things with the resources that they have been provided with, okay, in this world. But understand, by and large, this world is under the sway of the adversary and the influences of his system.

And as the Bible tells us, by the abundance of his trading, he was corrupted. Okay, so this is a corrupted system of economy and finance and trading where so many are seeking to accumulate not just what we need for our basic provision and to live a comfortable life, but at some point you move past that, where it becomes one-upmanship in some ways. You know, the art of sealing the deal and who can come out on top, and it becomes indeed truly a matter of amassing wealth to the point it becomes about competition and status more than needful provision. And that's a dangerous mindset to be in.

We need to be in a mindset of what God has blessed me with, how can I bless others with it along the way as well, because it is more blessed to give than to receive. In Ecclesiastes chapter 5 and verse 10, it highlights the futility of loving wealth. It says, he who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with increase.

It says this also is vanity. And the point is, if you love these things, if you absolutely love them, you'll never get enough. No matter how much you have, the thrust and the focus will be on accumulating more. But God says, my focus is on taking the vast, shall we say, treasure of who he is and giving it, giving it for the benefit of those who would then receive and be blessed by the gift of God. So I think we can see a stark contrast in the mindset of God versus the mindset of the ways of the world around us and in the system that is in place.

We must still work, we must still provide for our families, and God opens doors and provides blessings. And if you work hard and you're able to provide abundantly, that's a wonderful blessing. It's a gift from God, as the Bible says.

But let us understand how we're to use these resources again that God has blessed us with. And it's not simply financial. Maybe it's your strength of health that you can work in a way that nobody else can, and you can put that in the service for somewhere else. Maybe that is your skill, your knowledge, your talent. Whatever God's blessed you with, how are we giving of what He has given us? Let's go back to Genesis chapter 12, because we see a stark contrast to the mindset, again, of God versus the ways of this world, and He conveys it to Abraham.

Right? Abraham, a man upon whom God was going to extend the fulfillment of great and precious promises, promise of a lineage, promise of wealth. We know Abraham was incredibly wealthy, actually, before God called them out of the country he was in, and even as he dwelled in tents through the promised land. Abraham was wealthy, but notice God's focus here.

Genesis chapter 12 and verse 2. I just want to highlight this verse. God says to Abraham, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great. And notice He says, and you shall be a blessing, and you shall be a blessing. It's not speaking only of the prophecy of the Messiah. That, indeed, would be a great blessing that came through his lineage, but it's actually speaking to the fact that Abraham, wherever he went by God's hand a blessing with him, would be a blessing to those around him. And that Abraham's descendants, indeed, even down on through history, wherever they ended up, would be a blessing to the world and those around them wherever they went.

And, indeed, you can trace that out even historically, but God said, you're going to take what I bless you with, and you're going to turn, and you are going to be a blessing because of what you will give to others. Brethren, the Bible shows a different perspective that we must have as the people of God, a different perspective from the rest of the world, and it reveals that real pleasure is derived from taking on the divine nature of God and helping others where you have the opportunity, again, by expression of who and what he is through you, giving, giving of what it is you have to give, be of the abundance he has provided.

2 Corinthians 9 verse 7 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. Right? So this isn't grudgingly, this isn't just prying loose whatever we have to give. We must give it gladly and cheerfully because he is a cheerful giver himself, and we're called to be like him. And so he loves it, absolutely loves it, when he sees that quality in you and I. It's a reflection of a quality of God.

Now, I want to take a moment as well to point out that it is a blessing to be a receiver as well.

You know, we've probably all been on the receiving end. I know Darla and I, a number of times in our 30 years of marriage, have been on the receiving end of somebody's gift or blessing, and truly it has been a blessing. When the children are younger, especially, right, and the car is 20 years old, and sometimes blessings come along just at the right time. And we give thanks to the person, and we gave thanks to God for that as well. And the point is we should and must be appreciative receivers when we're on the other side of the giving spectrum. But the question is, where do we live as a mindset? What is our attitude of our heart? Are we people who are givers at heart?

Or are we people that are receivers at heart, that do continually look out for where can we, you know, accumulate from? Again, legitimate needs should be met and need to be met, but our focus and emphasis should be as givers, indeed, by what it is that God and Christ have expressed through their nature. I'll just highlight a couple of charitable concepts that came to my mind as I was working through this. The United Church of God has the Good Works program, and the Good Works is intended to do just what it says, good works. Okay, it is outreach, and there's people who fund that activity, who give because they know this is being managed to go in a way that is going to benefit others. So in one of our congregations in Ghana, in Winneba, we have a congregation of roughly 65 people that meet in a wooden one-room structure that's actually quite small. They're busting out at the seams. It was built 25 years ago as a temporary structure, and the congregation has continued to grow, and here they are. So Good Works came in, and they were willing to help to donate some funds that have been donated to them, and we've constructed a separate building next to the church hall, because the church hall is going to be expanded upon, but there's a couple of classrooms for Sabbath school, and there is, if you can imagine this, flushing toilets. Things we take for granted, right? I mean, this was a congregation in a town, and prior you had basically a four-foot wall, five-foot wall outside, maybe about five-foot wide. You step behind the wall, no plumbing, nothing involved. Okay, this was for years. So, you know, the blessing we can imagine, there's a men's room, there's a woman's room now, and there's flushing toilets in each and running water in each. We would say that's a basic human need of sanitation and those things, and it is, but understand blessings come because others were givers and gave of themselves in a way then that was a blessing to others in need. And it's a wonderful thing. Good Works does food distributions. We've done a few of them now in Nigeria because of the economic crisis that's going on there, food distributions. They do outreach programs. We're a youth corps, volunteers, staff programs, and they go to orphanages in different parts of the world, or they go to schools and they teach and they educate and they work on projects. So it's not just a financial source, it's just manpower as well of people who have a heart to give and to serve in various ways. The LifeNets charity as well that the cubics run, they've done boreholes in remote villages all around Africa and in South America where you drill that borehole and it doesn't only give advantage and blessing to our church congregations in those regions, it's for the community and indeed becomes a blessing to the community. But again, people are backing that through giving and it becomes a blessing to others. They provide academic scholarships, food and medical supply distributions. You've probably seen their efforts in Ukraine where they've provided for Sabbatarians in Ukraine in that war-torn region with food and medical supplies and beds to sleep on. And again, God said to Abraham, and you shall be a blessing. With what it is that has come from me to you, what's your perspective?

It should be to be givers, as indeed God is a giver. I've mentioned to a few of you that Darla and I are packed up again for our trip this next week. We're leaving to West Africa. We've got seven tents that we're taking with us and archery equipment and other camp gear for the youth camp. And on my last trip, I took seven tents and all of that's funded by what people send into private donations to Spokane. They say, we want to help in West Africa wherever we can. And those funds go to Nigeria and Ghana that help in various things. But again, to give is a wonderful blessing that God provides us with an opportunity to do in whatever form it would take.

There's a church congregation in California that has a recycling program. And through that program, they go around every month, they accumulate the recycling everyone wants to donate, and some even give cash donations to that. And through that recycling program, we fund educational scholarships in West Africa. So in Ghana, there are five university scholarships that are funded through what is collected through recycling by this congregation in California. And every other time, between myself and Tim Peberth, who's over the French West Africa areas, they'll send these funds that go through then for education. And that sprung from a young man who, I'd say probably close to 12 years ago now, was part of the Youth Corps project. He went to Ghana for camp, and he looked around as he served, and he said, you know, there's need here, and I want to do something to help give back. So he went back to his congregation, and he started this recycling program, and it continues to this day. But again, it's a matter of, you know, we look around, and we think, how has God blessed me in a way that I can then extend in giving to others?

It is a wonderful blessing. We have a member in the Tri-Cities who has collected thousands and thousands of pairs of used reading glasses. I've taken suitcases, loads of these over the years, and they're distributed among the church, and then they're distributed out into the community region around them as well. And what I'll say is that for our congregations, because I can only speak of us who I know on the circuit, I'm grateful for all of you and what I see and what I don't see, frankly, and don't know ever know about. Other times I will visit people, and they will say, well, I had this particular need that came up, and so and so heard about it, and so and so came over, and they were under my house, and they fixed, you know, whatever it was, and what a blessing!

There's those of you who have participated in work parties at different individuals' houses to help fix and support what needs to be done. This is what God has called us to do, and I would just say thank you. I believe we have a group of givers among us, you know, a congregation of givers, and that is indeed something that God uses. It's a blessing to those who receive, but understand the point here is actually more blessed to give. It's more blessed to give. Jesus equated such giving to others, and whatever form it takes, is storing up treasure in heaven. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 42, Jesus said, and whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. I was talking about treasure in heaven, and maybe we think, well, this isn't such a big deal, and maybe nobody else sees, God sees, and God knows how it is that we serve, and he does not forget. First Timothy chapter 6 and verse 17. Let's turn there.

First Timothy chapter 6 and verse 17, apostle Paul writing, and he says, command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. So the point is, it's God who gives to us richly. Incredible blessings, and this is, it is talking primarily financially in this passage, but the blessings come in so many different fashions, and there's so many different ways that we can give that out to others through our time, through our strength and energy, through our skill, recognizing whatever it is God has given to us to pay it forward. Verse 18, it says, let them do good that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation in the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life.

So again, point number two of why it is more blessed to give than to receive is that giving stores up true treasure in heaven. Point number three, giving places our trust in God as the ultimate provider in our lives. You know, giving places our trust in God as the ultimate provider in our lives, and we might think, well, if I'm on the receiving end and I have need, that's where it puts me trusting. It does, but understand if you're going to be a giver and you're going to release, what is in your control and in your hand, you're recognizing, you know what, there is a source from which this comes that is beyond me. Okay? Proverbs chapter 3.

Proverbs chapter 3. Brethren, there's a principle that comes up time and time again in the Bible, and that's when God's people give. In return, what God gives is great. And again, that's because he's the ultimate provider of everything. You might say, well, the strength of my hand provided this. Well, he gives you strength to go and work. He opens the doors. Proverbs chapter 3, verse 5. Let me get in the right chapter.

Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 5 says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your path. The understanding of the carnal man says, you know what, if I give, then I will have less for myself. But God says, actually, if you take on my mindset of give, you'll see that increase indeed is the result. There's a cause and effect that God has established when we trust him. Verse 7, it says, do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It says, it will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase. So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. So we're told here to honor God with our tithes. That's what it means when he says to honor God with the firstfruits of your increase. You know, to honor God with your tithes. And you know, on pencil and paper, that may not make a lot of sense.

Right? If you're figuring the budget and you say, well, let's just slash 10 percent off the top for tithe. Well, that's 10 percent, right? Out of the budget. And maybe in some ways, mathematically, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Well, not according to how God promises to work out his blessings for those who give and give to the one who owns everything, right? It is his already to begin with. The system that God has put into place is then to bless in return and to see that you have what it is you need to be sustained. And indeed, in so many cases, far beyond even what you've given. This is a principle that God has built into this blessing of giving. Malachi chapter 3 verse 8. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 8. I don't know about you, brethren, but personally, I would much rather release what is God's and allow him—it's his already—and allow him to provide the blessing than for me to hold on what is his and say, by the strength of my own hand, it will be provided.

Again, God's way works. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 8 says, Will a man rob God? He says that you have robbed me, but you're saying, What way have we robbed you in tithes and offerings? And the point of my message—this isn't a tithing sermon, and the point isn't to tell you where to send your tithe. The point is God says we must, and this is a principle of his word. You decide where his work is being done and how that will be supported. Ultimately, that's between you and God. But the principle is what I'm trying to convey here. He says, You've robbed me in tithes and offerings. Verse 9, You were cursed with a curse, who You have robbed me, even this whole nation. He says, Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out upon you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

Cause and effect. God challenges us with our possessions, and he says, Give to me, and I will bless you with more than you had before.

Again, on paper, does this make a lot of sense? No, it doesn't. But God says, This is what I do. It's not by your reasoning. But He says, What I will bless you with, actually, you cannot contain what I will bless you with, which will be so much more than what it is you've given to me. But you have to understand, I think we sometimes approach this principle from the wrong direction. As human beings, we think, Well, God, when you bless me, then I can give to you.

And we think, Well, God, when you bless me with a job, that I don't have to work on the Sabbath.

Then I'll be a church on the Sabbath. Or God, when you bless me with a job that I can afford to tithe, plus pay this, pay that, pay that, pay that. Then I'll tithe. But what does God say? God says, Try me now in this. Sometimes we flip it around in the wrong direction. God says, To obey Him first, and then He provides the blessing for our obedience. Try me now in this, He says, Prove me wrong. Of course, you won't be able to. God says, He will respond with the blessing. And tithing is a way we begin to learn the blessing of giving. That when we give, what God pours back into by way of increase in return by His system that He's designed. It's like, why would we not do what it is He's given us to do? It acknowledges God as the ultimate provider in our lives. And from there, that principle plays out in other directions. This isn't just about tithing. This is about giving. When we give to others, when we see a need and we step in to help fulfill it, no matter how that may be that we fulfill it, this principle of God applies. Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 24.

Proverbs 11 verse 24. Again, when we recognize that God owns all that there is anyway, and as one individual used to say, right, talent unloaned from God, is there anything we have we've received that isn't from Him?

Why would why would we not recognize then His nature of giving? I believe we do, but I just want to show us the blessing of it. Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 24. He says, there is one who scatters and yet increases more. You know, that what they have, they're throwing out there, they're scattering, and then what actually comes back in is greater than what they've put out. But that that wouldn't seem to make sense. He says, and there is one who withholds more than is right, just just hangs on and isn't going to release anything. It says, but it leads to poverty. It says, the generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. Again, it's this cause and effect of giving generously as God is designed, leading to a blessing, and not because the person that you gave to can necessarily repay you, it's because God sees and God does it. Now, brethren, blessings shouldn't be the motivation behind why we give, okay? If that's our focus, then we're focused in the wrong place. But the point I want us to understand is we shouldn't be afraid to give when it's in our power to do so, or think that we're suffering loss because God's system works, and what he has built into it is, I am your provider, so you can trust me to give because I will see that you don't suffer want because of the blessing you've sent now along the way to someone else. Verse 26, it says, the people will curse him who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. And so it's the principle of not withholding what others need when it's within our power to give it. You know, it's kind of like if there's a famine and people are hungry and you've got the silo and it's full of grain, you think, I just can just hold on to it until the price drives up through the roof. And then when people are willing to pay whatever I ask, then I'll release it. You know, God says, that isn't the principle of my way of doing things. That isn't something that God would bless. You know, certainly someone may get their price in that day, in that moment, okay, because people need to eat. But if we're talking about storing up treasure in heaven, if that's our way of functioning, not so much. Not so much. It's the giving and being a blessing to others that God is looking for. Verse 28 says, He who trusts and riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. And I just love this concept, the righteous will flourish like foliage. It's like God says, you'll be this abundant green plant that just grows because He is the one that is watering and nourishing and providing. And, you know, it's Psalm 1, right? The green tree by the river whose roots go down, even in drought, will have no want because of the blessing of God. This is how God works, and this is why He is more blessed to give and to receive. For our Verse 28, verse 27, for our chapter 28, verse 27 says, He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses. So turning your face away from legitimate needs, again, when it's within our power to do something, God says, you know, that's a problem. That's not according to my nature of giving, and it's not according to indeed what God has done towards us.

And the opposite is brought as a result, not a blessing, but indeed it says a curse. If you turn away from what it is you know to do and is in your power to do, now I recognize, and I think we all know, there's not enough money in the world to solve all the world's problems, okay? And I see that front and center when I'm in Africa. Everywhere I turn, there are needs. You can't, there's not enough money to fill or to help, and frankly, money really isn't the right patch for many of the needs. The world is broken, and we yearn for the kingdom of God, and that's the answer.

But you still seek to help where you can and how you can, and you have to make decisions on that.

But there's not enough to solve all the world's problems apart from the kingdom of God.

But we are God's people, and we must do what we can where we can in a responsible way. Nor can we fix all the consequences of people's sins and bad judgments that lead to certain destinations as well. Okay? But brethren, let us not shut our hearts up, either. God expects when we have the ability to help in a responsible way that we be cheerful givers, trusting Him to take care of us in that process as well. He is our provider. It's not me. I must do my part. But when He is, I can trust it is okay, because He, as the Master Giver, will give whatever I need.

Ecclesiastes 11, verse 1 says, cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. So that's God's provision in action. That's His blessing to bring back around what it is that we need. If we're out doing what it is He's given us to do. 2 Corinthians 9.

2 Corinthians 9. I found I was throwing out scriptures left and right as well. The Bible is full of this concept, because it is the heart and mind of God. 2 Corinthians chapter 9, here the Apostle Paul's following up on the collection in Corinth here, which had been promised for the brethren in Jerusalem. There were challenges going on in the people of God in Jerusalem. There were poor in the church in Jerusalem. And so he's taking up this collection then. And let's notice the emphasis he puts not just on the blessing of giving or receiving, but on the trust that we place in God when we do this. 2 Corinthians chapter 9, and beginning in verse 5, Paul says, therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go ahead to you ahead of time and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which we had previously promised that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, but he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Again, it's that cause and effect. Verse 7, so let each one of us give as he has purpose in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. You know, there's not a whole lot of definitions in the Bible of things that God just absolutely loves. There are things that are absolute that God loves, okay? And there's things that he likes, there's things that are pleasing to him, but love is like top shelf description. God says he loves a cheerful giver because that's what he is, that's what Jesus Christ star is. And when they look at us, they see that nature then being reflected on out through us. And God says, you know, I love this. Verse 8, Paul says, and God is able to make all grace abound towards you, you who are the givers, okay? This is the blessing. God is able to make all grace abound towards you that you always, having all sufficiency and all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written, he has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. And so maybe you envision the sower, the sower is out there and he's sowing seed and he's seeking to reap a crop. And this says actually, he who supplies seed to the sower.

I mean, where does the seed come from? Who does it come from? And you might say, well, it came from last year's crop. Well, where did it come before that? And before that, ultimately, it was God who established this, is God who gives the increase. Paul said, you know, I planted Apollo's water, God gives the increase. That's a physical as well as a spiritual principle. It is he who gives the increase and it is he who is the one who gives the seed to the sower. So Paul's telling the church to trust in the goodness of God when they give to others, to trust in what it is that God does, that he will always provide sufficiency in all things, equipping them for every good work. And brethren, God does the same in our lives as well. Luke chapter 6 and verse 38.

The words of Jesus Christ, he says, give. One word, one word commandment, one word instruction. Give and notice the result. Given it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. You bought cereal at the grocery store lately? I would have shaken down because the box is that big and it's maybe, you know, but this is talking about good measure, full abundance, shaken down, packed in, full to the abundance as a result of what you've given. Put into your bosom for the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. That is the blessing of God. And brethren, we can't out give God. And when we give to others through our finances, through our time, our energy, our skill, our talents, our listening ear, our prayer on our knees to God, we can all do that in service to one another. Then God, who is our ultimate provider, will give good measure back to us so that we will have the ability to continue giving still. That's how his system works. That's how his blessing unfolds. And that is the result of us worshiping and obeying a God who himself is a giver. Fourth and final point of why it is more blessed to give than to receive. Being a giver by nature is a quality of those who will inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God. And this ties back into our other points, but giving by nature is a quality of those who will inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God. Let's conclude in Matthew chapter 25. Really just one passage to the point, but it says it all. Matthew 25. Here we see the ultimate reward for our cheerful giving, and it will come at the return of Jesus Christ. Matthew chapter 25 and verse 31, Jesus says, The kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And notice why. He says, And the king will answer, verse 40.

You did it to one of the least of these, my brethren. You did it to me. So the point is, brethren, we need to serve our fellow man in the church and outside the church each and every day like we are serving Jesus Christ because we are. If you see a legitimate need and you're in a position to help to resolve that need, that's Jesus Christ by principle. That is what has been given us to do as His people. Verse 41. Then He will say to those on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Verse 44. Then they will also answer, okay, same answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? In other words, Lord, if we had seen you in that position, we surely would have done something. Where were you? If we seen you, we would have been there. But what's the point? The point is they were so self-focused that they didn't even see the needs of others. They didn't even hit their radar. In verse 45, He will answer and say to them, Assuredly I say, and as much as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. And so, brethren, it is more blessed to give than to receive because being a giver by nature is who and what God is, who and what Jesus Christ is. They are givers, and it's a quality of those who will inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God. Now receiving is a blessing, too. And when you have need and somebody comes along and helps to fill that need, indeed, that is an incredible blessing, and we give them thanks, and we praise God for that. However, in the final analysis of things, the blessings of God that come as a result of a giving heart, is we take on, and we learn to take on, His character. We store up treasure in heaven. We come to rely on Him even more as our ultimate provider. And at least in part, it opens the door, not that we can earn salvation, but we become the kind of people that God says, you are like us. And it opens the door to His kingdom. The blessing of giving far exceeds anything that any of us could receive from another human being. And brethren, that is why it is more blessed to give than to receive.