The subject of giving has been quite bastardized. Mostly when giving is discussed, people immediately think in terms of financial or material rewards, but there is more to the subject than that. Paul had a valedictory session with the elders of the church at Ephesus while he stopped over at Miletus. He spent the entire night putting things in place as he was not sure of seeing them again after that. A portion of his encouragement is the text for our meditation today. He employed the words of Jesus to stir their hearts to stewardship, stressing that “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. It is not clear exactly where Paul lifted these words of the Lord, but we do know that giving was part of His teachings. In His teaching on the mount, He warned the disciples not to go about their stewardship the way the Pharisees did, just as He said concerning prayer and fasting.

When we cultivate a lifestyle of giving, we do away with the garb of selfishness and open the way for the grace of God to flow in.

Apart from the hope of receiving financial returns, giving also provides opportunity for us to grow in grace. God Himself demonstrated that giving cannot be separated from grace when He gave His only begotten Son for the redemption of mankind. Moreover, we know that human nature is essentially selfish. Grace and self are irreconcilable. When we cultivate a lifestyle of giving, we do away with the garb of selfishness and open the way for the grace of God to flow in.