Give, but Also Receive

[Jesus] instructed them to take nothing for the journey 
except a walking stick — no bread, no bags, 
and no money in their belts.

— Mark 6:8 (CEB)

The New Testament is full of instructions about giving to others. “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor” (Mk. 10:21). These familiar verses and others rightly hold up giving as a virtuous, generous, and necessary act for all those who follow Christ. Giving generously is essential to the building of God’s kingdom. 

But I think we sometimes overlook the importance of receiving when we focus on this call to give cheerfully. After all, in order to give there must be someone to give to — someone to receive what is offered and make use of it. The relationship forged when we give and receive is the essence of biblical hospitality. When Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs, he instructs them to take nothing with them. In doing so, they must rely on the hospitality of others, recognizing what their hosts have to offer them even as the disciples bring healing powers and good news of Jesus’ teachings to their hosts. 

In this issue of The Upper Room, writers describe some of the many ways we receive comfort, guidance, and clarity from God. In order to give of ourselves and share our talents with those around us, we must first receive from God, the giver of all good gifts. In the weeks to come, I pray that each of us will open ourselves to the gifts God is offering us and in turn that we will give generously to everyone we encounter.