Jesus is quoted by one of the epistlists as saying that it is better to give than to receive. I think most of us can see that intuitively for ourselves. But one of Jesus' other famous sayings is that we should remove the plank from our own eyes before trying to take a speck out of someone else's.
And I think what we can learn from that is that we do have to do enough receiving (particularly of God's good gifts) to be able to do good giving. For if it is true that it is better to give than to receive, then surely there is much that God wants to give us! And the good news is that, indeed there is:
'Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.' Matthew 11:28-30
We can do nothing on our own, but only with the strength of the Father who sends us. It isn't wrong to ask for that strength - He gives it freely, oftentimes when we don't ask. Don't be afraid to ask for help, just as you yourself offer your help to others. It was always there for the giving - not always in the form you expect, but there nonetheless.
See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Isaiah 52:13
Thursday, October 7, 2004
Taking, Giving
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6 comments:
Ahhhh....thank you. That is my favorite passage ever....the Matthew 11. You are good.
No, just tuned in. I read what you wrote, and thought about it. Then I decided to post this here instead of as a comment to your "head up..." entry, because comments shouldn't be essays. ;-)
Can we compromise with tuned in AND good??
I'd have to agree with A. You're good. It's a gift you received. Receive it...and the compliment. :-)
Thank you. But you know, I had one heck of an encounter with the editor at the Ottawa Citizen today. He took a letter to the editor I sent them this morning and completely rewrote it. I had too many dangling sentences. And he didn't even understand some of the sentences I wrote. So my humility tonight is more than just the artificial kind. ;-)
As I have said before, you have a way with words. That, matched with your knowlege, can be quite an inspiration to some of us.
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