Fully Receive, Freely Give

In Matthew 1:8 Jesus tells His disciples, “Freely you have received, freely give.” This statement is a foundational truth in the kingdom of God. In order to give anything, we must first receive. You’ve probably heard the saying “you can’t get blood out of a turnip.” Meaning, you cannot give what you don’t have.

Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one other; even as God in Christ forgave you.” This is one of many scriptures telling the believer in Jesus to be kind, loving, and forgiving. According to our opening scripture, we must first receive these from Jesus, in order to have them to give to others.

I wonder if one of the reasons we struggle to love others is because we have not fully received the great love that God has for us. I wonder if one of the reasons we struggle to forgive others is because we have not fully received the forgiveness that is offered to us in Jesus Christ. Freely you have received, freely give.

It’s been many years ago now, but when I surrendered my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, I accepted His offer to forgive me of all of my sins. I experienced God’s love as I read the word of God and found out how great God’s love was for me. Something was changing on the inside of me. Now, I had something to give. I could obey a scripture like Ephesians 4:32 because I had received those very things from my Lord.

I have a question for you: Have you fully received all that our Lord desires to give to you? That is a good question for each of us to take to the Lord in prayer. Receiving must come first, then we have something to give. Freely you have received, freely give.

Man Shall Not Live By Bread Alone

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Our physical bodies need natural food to be healthy and strong, but our spirit man needs spiritual food (the word of God) to remain healthy and strong. Jesus repeats this theme in Matthew 6 when He says, “Do not worry about your life, what you shall eat or drink, or your body, what you shall wear, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”

We have need of physical food to be healthy and strong, but even ahead of these things, we should seek first God’s kingdom and His holy word to feed our spiritual man. As one fellow put it, “We feed our physical bodies three hot meals a day, and our spirit man one cold snack a week, and wonder why we aren’t stronger spiritually.”

Set aside time each day to spend with God in prayer and in His word. It doesn’t have to take a huge part of your day, start with 5 minutes and say, “Lord, I’m coming to You, and to Your word to know You and Your ways.” There are many good devotions out there, but one I can recommend is www.ourdailybread.org. It is available in print form, a daily devotion on their website, via email, or even on a mobile app for your smart phone. All of it is available at no charge. It gives you a scripture passage, a short devotion, and a prayer. Or, if you prefer, get out your bible and read a passage from the Gospel of John each day. Our spirit man needs good food, for man shall not live by bread alone.

Quick to Listen

One of the great privileges we have as believers in Jesus is that we can hear His call. In John 10:27 Jesus declares, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them Eternal life.” Notice the heart attitude of one of Jesus’ sheep, they hear Him. Hearing Jesus develops an intimacy where He becomes known to us, and we are known to Him. As we get to know Him, and His voice, we trust our Shepherd and follow His lead. He leads us in His ways, and gives us eternal life. From Psalm 23 we know our Shepherd leads us to lush green pastures and peaceful waters. That is good news to a sheep.

Following Jesus requires an attitude that is willing to set aside any distractions. Proverbs 4:20 says, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.” To “incline our ears” means to give “full attention” to what the word of God has to say. The Good Shepherd will never lead us in a path that is contrary to the word of God, so it is important that we are diligent to read and study God’s word.

And finally, James 1:19 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” At times, the opposite is true for us, we are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to anger. If we are going to follow Jesus we are going to have to develop better skills in listening. Pray and ask Jesus to help you be a better listener, to set aside distractions and find out what His word has to say on the subject at hand, and to know your Good Shepherd. He will guide you into His path and plan. It’s His promise: My sheep hear My voice.

What God Sees

A lot of times what the world thinks is important is not important to God.
1 Samuel 16:7 says, “For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  This account in 1 Samuel shows God instructing the prophet Samuel to anoint a new king for Israel.  God was not interested in who was the most handsome, the most talented, or the most likely to succeed; He was interested in who had a heart for the things of God.  God chose David to lead Israel, not because of his vast experience in leading people, but because God saw in David a man after His own heart. As David led Israel, it was revealed he had some major flaws, yet God used David mightily because when David missed it, he repented and continued to have a heart for the things of God.

God is still looking for people He can use to accomplish great things for His kingdom.  With God, it’s not a person’s ability that is key, but a person’s availability. God has given wonderful gifts to people, abilities like helping and serving, leading and speaking, loving and giving.  But, how many are willing to say, “Lord, I’m available, use me.”  It’s easy to come up with excuses as to why we can’t be used by God.  Some would say, “I’m too busy,” others, “I’m too old,” others, “I’m too young.”  It’s not up to us to determine if the Master can use us, our part should be to say, “Lord, if you want to use me, I’m available.” God may not be looking for the most gifted to do a particular job, but a person whose heart is toward Him.

How about you?  Will you say, “Lord, send me!"