If you are familiar with the Scriptures, you may find my title today unusual, because Acts 20: 35 says, “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.”

Whoa!! The Pastor is refuting the infallible Word of God! No! Hear me out. Several years ago, as a young deacon, I was serving our church by being our Student Pastor, and one year I was planning on taking our students to summer camp. Well, I had budget money and the students did some fund raisers and everyone and everything was financially covered. But the week before, I had a Godly man come to me and say, “Bro. Randy, I would like to scholarship one of the students to camp.” I said, “That’s O.K. Mr. Smith, it’s all taken care of.” I will never forget the look of sorrow on his face as he turned and walked away. I said to myself right there, “I will never do that again.”

If someone offers to give, then I will take it even if I don’t need it, because I do not want to rob them of the blessing of doing what God has led them to do. It is better for me to graciously receive, so they can be blessed in their God-directed giving. I know it is counter intuitive to our normal way of thinking, and our first reaction is to turn down a gracious offer, but that would not be the scriptural response.

May God help us learn to be gracious receivers!