In what seemed to be a valedictory session, Paul sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus while he stopped over at Miletus. He spent the entire night putting things in place as he might not see 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.
How is giving a means of grace? Well, we know that 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. On a final note, giving is analogous to sowing. When a farmer sows, he gets ready for harvest. Jesus tells us that when we give, it shall come back to us in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Those who give, live to get.
