It is written in Acts 20:35: "” 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 He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””
To receive means to accept or obtain something. When a person receives a blessing from God or help from people, they will feel pleased because this makes them feel like someone who has been blessed. To give means to bestow, to offer, to give up, or to sacrifice. From the world's point of view, to give is to have less of what you have. How then can the Lord say that it is more blessed to give than to receive?
Recorded in Matthew 19 is a rich young man. He came to the Lord Jesus because he wanted to know what good deeds he should do to gain eternal life. The Lord replied, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young man then said, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Jesus also said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” So the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, "Who then can be saved?” Indeed, does that mean one must have nothing in life to be saved? Of course not! Would the Lord not know what we need to live? He keeps us as the apple of His eye, and He brings us abundant grace and peace, so that we can rely on Him in this life. It is also written in 1 Timothy 6:18-19, "Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” If we set our eyes on the things above, we live in the kingdom of God, and we will be rewarded with eternal life. If we only set our eyes on this life, we only live on this earth, and this life will be our only life. Only those who are willing to give will be able to store up treasures in heaven. Therefore, the Lord Jesus said this to let us compare the worldly and the spiritual, decide to forsake that which is temporary and corruptible, and receive that which is eternal and will not fail.
Paul said in Acts 20:35, "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak.” It is also written in 2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” The Lord Jesus is the true omnipotent God who left His throne in heaven to carry our sins. He came down to earth as the Son of Man, and He gave His life for our sins so that we might have life, be reconciled to God, and become rich because of His love. Whoever wants to follow Jesus must follow His example: be willing to leave everything behind and offer himself as a living sacrifice to live for the Lord all the days of his life, and then he will have an abundant life in the Lord. Paul mentioned here, “by laboring like this, that you must support the weak.” Paul himself labored much for the gospel and kept the churches in his thoughts day and night. Likewise, we should follow Paul's example and work hard to spread the gospel. This is also the commission that God has entrusted to us, that our "giving" will lead to more people becoming rich in faith. The Bible also says that it is good for us to labor in Christ, for we have freely received from the Lord Jesus, so we should freely give.
Paul said to help the weak for God is love. If a man sees his brothers and sisters in need but has no compassion, how can such a man be one who loves the Lord? Our fervent love for one another must always manifest and be evident in words and deeds. We give so we can please God, bring glory to God, and let those who received help glorify God. True giving does not expect anything in return because our reward is in heaven. Our present sufferings or labors are temporary and light compared to the future glory.
In this way, giving is not to have less of what we have, but an increase of what we have received and an extension of the blessing. The more we receive, the more we should give. God has promised us a more abundant life, which is eternal life. Old men had said, “It is better to give to others than to receive from others.” If the wise men of the ancient times already had this understanding, how then can those of us who have received the gift of life not? The Lord Jesus has given Himself for us, so we should follow His example, "It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
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