Acts 20:35: In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
In Paul’s day the culture lacked mercy. There were no government programs to help the poor and the sick. Paul is urges Christians to reach out to those in need because of the love and mercy we received from Christ.
Paul encourages Christians by following his own example and he calls upon us to remember the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than receive.”
While these words do not appear in any of the Gospels, they are a summation of Luke 6:38 and the saying does express what Jesus said and demonstrated in all four Gospels. MacArthur writes: “It is of great consequence that this is the only quotation recorded outside the gospels of a statement spoken by Jesus while He was on earth. That gives significant weight to the truth it reveals.”
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father:
We thank you this day for the revelation of Your Word. We thank you for the love and mercy you showed us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Forgive us when we fail to show mercy to those in hard circumstances like we should. Give us opportunity to share the hope we have.
In Jesus name, I pray, amen.
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