'tis the season for receiving amidst the giving‏

Acts 20:35

 

³⁵ In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 

Did Oswald Chambers ignore Paul and Jesus’ advice this morning when he said our biggest problem is receiving gifts?

 

. . . being justified freely by His grace . . . —Romans 3:24

 

The Gospel of the grace of God awakens an intense longing in human souls and an equally intense resentment, because the truth that it reveals is not palatable or easy to swallow. There is a certain pride in people that causes them to give and give, but to come and accept a gift is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom; I will dedicate my life to service— I will do anything. But do not humiliate me to the level of the most hell-deserving sinner and tell me that all I have to do is accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. We must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution.

 

No. Paul and Jesus are speaking to our sinful desire to withhold service from others in order to focus our sacrifice on our selves alone.

 

Oswald is speaking to our sinful desire to make it on our own. We like giving help when we want to. We hate having to ask for help when we don’t want to.

 

We are awesome at sin. 
We can do it in refusing help and in refusing to help others.

 

High five world.

Worldwide Pride. 
Woot! Woot!

 

Until we realize that we need God to save us, we will not ask Him to do it. We will not rely on Him daily to secure and manifest it in us. We will not pursue Him as one loved. We will do lip service to “needing” Him while living like He doesn’t exist.

 

Exactly who do you think you are?

 

Your perception of God ‘s love hinges dramatically on this question.