Acts 20:35 ESV
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.’”
Giving, that is what we are here to talk about in this segment of Understanding the Verse. I will give you some examples of what it means to me give, and some examples of how we might all give. We will also talk about the verse above and how it relates to giving to others.
When I went to look up the definition of giving, there was a bunch of different ones. The one that fits with this segment is as follows: Give: To offer in good faith; pledge. That is a good basis I think for the word “Give”. What does this word mean to you? A lot of people see giving as here is my money, here is my toys. Yes, those are all versions of giving, but in this segment I am going to speak about another type of giving. The type of giving is not in physical stuff but in emotional and spiritual.
The first part of the verse states that, “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.” God wants us to give, and wants us to be blessed in doing so. Jesus gave so much while he walked this earth, with all the healing and miracles that he performed on people he didn’t know. Let us not forget that the ultimate gift Jesus did for ALL of us, is dying on the cross. God also wants us to follow Jesus’ teaching and his ways of giving. It’s hard at times to give emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes you put so much into something emotionally and spiritually, that when you see no result you start to become discouraged. When discourage sets in, you seem to want to not put anything else into it. When God speaks of helping the weak, he means the weak in spirit. As Christians we have to help those who are not on the right path, or those who have gotten off the path they were on to begin with. We have to continue to encourage those people, and keep trying to get them back on the right path. I know from experience that family can be the hardest people to give to. Family is also the ones that drain you emotionally and spiritually. You would think that family would be the last people you would think you had to worry about, but surprisingly it doesn’t always work that way. You can’t give up, and you must ask God for patience. My mother-in-law tells me all the time that it will be on Gods time, not yours, and not mine. How true that is. In my case God’s time was 6 years later, but the important thing is that I am back where I need to be.
The second part of the verse states the following: how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” I am by no means a perfect Christian, or even close to one. I try to give my advice and my testimony on how God has helped me in my life to whoever wants to listen. Even though I get agitated at times, I still push forward. Even though it could take years for just one of points, or some of my advice to get to someone it helps it is well worth the wait. That one person will keep me going, and that will be my blessing that I am trying walk like Jesus did when he was on this earth. There is no better feeling that you knowing that something you did, or you said that God has stated in his own word through the bible helped someone in emotionally and spiritually need. That is best gift that you can receive. I know that my family have helped me so much spiritually and emotionally, that I pray they have been blessed in there own right. I pray that God puts me in a position that I can help someone as they have helped me. I also pray that I realize that I have been placed in that position. I know that it is hard to except that you are in a spot to help. I know myself, I am not a people person and have a hard time accepting the fact that I am placed in a position to help and have passed on times when I could help.
In closing, don’t give up on where God has put you at this point and time. Don’t get discouraged to help someone who is spiritually weak. You may not be a strong person yourself, but God may give you that one word or phrase that will turn that person’s life around. Stay faithful, and no God has placed you in the place you are for a reason. I pray that this segment has helped you on your daily life, and I pray that you continue to be blessed by God and God continues to stay in your life. May he bless you and your family.
Written by: Charles Rivette
3.20.12
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