Giving
Five Reasons Why It is More Blessed to Give than to Receive
You’ve probably heard the saying, “There are two types of people in our world; givers and takers.” Givers are those selfless people who are generous with all of their resources. Takers are the more self-centered variety who take advantage of any opportunity to get. Yet, according to Jesus, you will be more blessed if you give than if you receive (Acts 20:35).
Why? Why is it a greater blessing for me to give than it is for me to receive? It is important to know the “why”; because knowing why will help you follow through with being a generous giver.
So, here are five reasons as to why it is better to give than to get.
NUMBER ONE
Giving is better than receiving, because giving draws me closer to God.
Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:21 NLT). That seems backward. We would think that we would put our money where our heart is… in the things we love. But Jesus clearly says in this verse, your heart follows your money. For example, the only people who care about the stock market are those who have invested money in the stock market. They care because they have invested themselves. The same is true of the kingdom of God, the more we give to His kingdom, the more we will care about His kingdom.
When we give to God, it draws us nearer to Him because we have invested ourselves in Him.
NUMBER TWO
Giving is better than receiving, because what we give here on earth is received up into heaven.
Cornelius, a man who is described as a giver, had an angel appear before him. Startled, he asked the angel, “What do you want?” The angel replied, “Your prayers and your offerings have come up to God, and he has kept them in mind” (Acts 10:4 BBE). According the angel, what Cornelius gave here on earth in the natural was also received up into heaven in the spiritual. The next time you give, think about that truth; what I give here on earth is also being received in heaven.
The apostle Paul wrote to his young friend, Timothy and admonished him to …
Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. (1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NLT))
Clearly, giving is more blessed than receiving, because what we do with our resources here on earth translates into spiritual treasure in heaven.
NUMBER THREE
Giving is better, because giving builds our faith.
Many people don’t give because they are afraid of not having enough. However, when we give we are expressing our faith in God to provide for us. The more we stretch ourselves to give, the stronger our faith becomes.
In fact, Jesus challenges us to test Him with our giving, so that our faith will be increased. He says…
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. (Luke 6:38 (NLT))
Giving is better, because it builds our belief in Jesus Christ.
NUMBER FOUR
Giving is better, because the reward for giving is greater than what we gave. At times, it may be difficult to be generous. However, our generosity is seed for a greater harvest.
Remember the words of the psalmist who wrote,
Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest. (Psalms 126:5-6 (NLT))
For a Christian, the greatest reward is not a material blessing. The greatest reward is to see others come to know Jesus Christ and continue to grow in Him.
For the generous, the return on investment far outweighs the initial cost.
NUMBER FIVE
Giving is better, because God loves givers.
God loves everyone, but He chooses to manifest that love in a special way for those who are generous. Check out Paul’s words to the early Christians…
Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NLT))
Did you catch it? “God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” Again, Jesus loves everyone. But He reveals that love to us in different ways. When we give, He responds.
CONCLUSION
The next time you’re trying to decide whether you should or shouldn’t give, remember the giver is more blessed than the receiver. Here are those five reasons one more time;
giving draws me closer to God,
my gift is received up into heaven,
giving builds my faith,
the reward outweighs the cost,
God loves givers.