203-Receive First, Then Willingly Give 1#
203 Receive First, Then Willingly Give 1
(JP Text Group - Chen Chen Compilation)
Genesis 48:3-4
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for preparing this opportunity for Your children to worship You together. As a new week begins, we are willing to receive Your strength and Your provision. May Your words be our help at all times. You are victorious, and we desire to live out a victorious life. Keep us in Your words to see the light, that everyone may learn to first receive from You and then willingly give. Lead us in this time, Holy Spirit, to help us personally. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!
The topic of sharing is: Learn to Receive Grace First, Then Willingly Give
Those who cannot receive will not easily give to others. Some say that some people do not know how to receive but still give to others. Giving in the world is actually conditional. Those who do not receive God's grace will not give to others unconditionally. Only when one understands God's love, understands God's grace, and realizes that what God gives us is free, and that we each receive it freely, can we willingly help and give to others when we gratefully receive all of this.
What you receive is what you give. It does not matter whether you believe in Jesus or not. If you have suffered a lot of harm in your childhood, as you grow up, you will unconsciously bring that harm to others, into your family, and into your work. If you have not trusted anyone in the past because you have been deceived, you will not trust others now either. Perhaps you are filled with suspicion, doubt, and distrust. If you have already believed in Jesus and received a message of condemnation, what do you give out? Complaints, judgments, and also condemnation.
We, under grace, have received God's grace, and what you give out is unconditional love. Because everything you have is given to you freely by God, when you give to others or help others, it is all unconditional. What does unconditional giving mean? Regardless of whether you can receive or repay me, I am willing to care for you because I have received this way from God.
When Jesus Christ loved us, not everyone understood Christ's love. One day, they finally realized that Jesus truly loves me this way. While we were still sinners, He loved us; at that time, we were not lovable. Only when you understand the love of Jesus Christ and receive such love can you give sincerely and willingly, without seeking repayment. What you receive from God is His love, and what you give out can only be God's love; otherwise, it is your own. This is a very simple matter.
Let’s talk about a principle in life. How should Christians face the issue of lending money?
Should you lend money to others? Not lending? That would seem unkind.
For example, someone says, “I am in need; can you lend me 100,000 yuan?”
What will you do? You happen to have over 100,000 at home; should you lend it?
“Just lend it if you have it.”
What if one day he cannot pay you back?
This is a very realistic issue. We read the Bible and study it not to gain knowledge! That would just become religion! We need to apply the life message to our lives. When facing such realistic issues, there is a method: first learn to receive, and when you give, do so willingly and joyfully. The same applies to lending money.
If someone says, “Can you lend me 100,000 yuan?” you need to assess for yourself; it’s not about not lending. For me, if I can lend him 20,000 yuan without expecting repayment, I will lend him 20,000. There is no need to lend exactly what he asks; we are not obligated to do so. Do you understand? You need to break out of the original mindset. Giving you 20,000 is a gift to you, but you cannot say it is a loan. Shouldn’t he also be grateful? When you give away 20,000, what should you think? “I am just giving it away.” This is the help of a Christian. You have received grace from God and willingly give it; whether it is repaid or not is your business. Do you understand the principle of lending money?
Some say, “If you do it this way, everyone will want to borrow money from you!” If you know this person has other intentions, or if you truly cannot afford it, you can say, “I’m sorry, I cannot lend you right now.” You can completely refuse. How many people were once good friends but turned against each other because of lending money? Why does this happen? It’s just a small amount of money; when he borrowed from you, you were kind-hearted, believing him when he said he would pay you back in a week. You gave him everything you had, and when the week came, it’s not that he didn’t want to pay you back, but something went wrong, and he couldn’t. You kept urging him, and he had no choice but to run away, and in the end, you turned against each other.
The principle in the Bible is that you give without expecting anything in return. One day, when he returns the 20,000 to you, what kind of mindset should you have when facing that 20,000? “Thank the Lord, this is the 20,000 that God has given back to me.” Because that 20,000 was given away by you, do you understand? He hasn’t paid it back? You never expected him to. But you cannot tell him, you cannot say, “Here’s 20,000, don’t pay me back!” We tell everyone that this is a willing gift; for other life help, it is all a principle.
To love someone, to help someone, regardless of what kind of help it is, do not expect them to repay you; otherwise, don’t do it.
Again, helping him with this and that, one day when you are weak, and he does not come to comfort you, do not be discouraged! Because when you give, do not expect a return; if you hope for a return, that is conditional. First learn to receive grace! When Jesus Christ gave to us, did He expect us to repay? No. But when we repay, God says, I will give you back double, I will reward you, still not expecting repayment. That said, we have nothing to repay God with. When we understand God’s grace, helping those around us, what you give out, expecting no return, you will not be hurt. So I hope everyone can receive God’s grace and give unconditionally; God will personally repay you.
Let’s look at a person named Jacob; do you know what Jacob means? To grasp. How crazy was Jacob’s grasping? To describe it with a classic phrase, “What is mine is mine, and what is yours is also mine.” Jacob was indeed like his name; after he was born, he kept grasping, grasping at everything! Did he suffer in the world? He indeed grasped. If you do not understand this, you might say, “Many people grasp the world, using deceitful means to trick many people, and they have gained, right?” Do you know how painful such people are?
Jacob indeed grasped some things, two of which are quite obvious: First, he deceived his brother and took back the birthright; second, he deceived his father and took away the blessing of the firstborn. What did he gain? After deceiving his brother, his brother began to chase him; after deceiving his father, he was cut off from his family. Is this what you hope for?
The Bible says, “The violent man gains wealth.” People ask, “Why does the violent man gain wealth?” The meaning of this phrase is: If you can disregard your family, making money is too easy. But do you know how much you lose when you gain wealth this way? Jacob was such a person; the reason he grasped was that he did not understand God’s grace and did not recognize God’s grace. A person who cannot see the grace given freely by God will seize others’ blessings in his own way. Isaac had two children when he was sixty: Esau and Jacob.
In Genesis 25, it records this event:
29 One day, Jacob was cooking stew, and Esau came in from the field and was exhausted. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted.” Therefore, his name was called Edom (which means “red”). 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now!”
You see, this grasping person has already disregarded his family, right? His brother came back from the field and asked him for a sip of soup; what did he do? He had to put conditions on it; otherwise, no way! Living to this extent is definitely not easy.
At this time, his brother was also interesting; 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is the birthright to me?”
Did his brother think highly of the birthright? No. Esau looked down on his blessing, while Jacob forcibly seized others’ blessings; both did not recognize God’s grace.
33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now!” So Esau swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright.
Aren’t the two brothers interesting? Perhaps in Jacob’s heart, he was always unconvinced, saying: Why should I? I was born just a few minutes later, and I have to call you brother? That’s too unfair! You also took away the birthright.” So he wanted to take that birthright back; did he realize that God had already prophesied to bless him? He knew this matter, and his mother also knew, but they did not believe. Before they were born, God had told Rebekah, “The older will serve the younger.”
Before these two children were born, God had already told them, “The older will serve the younger.” (Gen 25:23; Rom 9:12). But did they think about this issue? Could Jacob and his mother think about how this would come to pass? Many years had passed, and this prophecy seemed impossible to fulfill. Jacob thought of ways to “take back what God had promised me.” This is Jacob. Jacob’s life was very painful. When he deceived his brother’s blessing, when Esau found out, he wanted to kill him, and he ran away to his uncle’s house. What kind of person was his uncle? Was he a generous person? A kind person? No, he was even more cunning and deceived him for twenty years.
The Bible says, “The pure will be treated with purity; the crooked will be treated with crookedness.” We will face people like ourselves. Sometimes Christians seem foolish; when you are foolish, God will not let you meet cunning people. Why must you live so painfully and so tired? Was Jacob very smart? Too smart; when he got to his uncle’s house, during the twenty years of work, his uncle said, “All the spotted ones are yours.” This guy started using branches and so on; isn’t he very clever? When Jacob left his uncle’s house, he said, “If it weren’t for my God, you would have taken everything from me.” Was that the truth? It means, “No matter how you Jacob stir things up, I have one rule: if you dare to take from me, I will kill you.” If you encounter such a person, isn’t it tiring? Your whole life is in constant battle.
Many people’s lives are like this, always grasping. Why do they desperately rely on themselves to grasp? They have not received God’s grace at all, always relying on themselves; this is the current state of humanity, always relying on themselves and constantly striving, just grasping at others’ blessings. Those in business only have one idea: the money in your pocket comes to my pocket; they are only thinking of ways to gain others’ blessings. So Jacob actually only understood this matter when he was old.
After following his uncle for twenty years, he was already very tired of that life. One day, he discussed with his wife, “Let’s escape from this place.” In the process of escaping, he had to face his brother Esau again. Jacob still had not learned to receive God’s grace and rely on God’s power to live; he was not a willing giver. At that time, Jacob divided his group into three teams; the first team was to send to death. What did Jacob mean? The first team crossed the river; if Esau killed that team, the last two teams would quickly run away; if the first two teams survived, the third team would come up. Do you know who the last team was? The last one was himself; the first group was his wife and children, all sent ahead.
The Bible mentions, “At the Jabbok crossing, all the front teams had crossed, and he was left alone on this side of the river.” Was Jacob willing to give? In his heart, he thought, “I have worked so hard for my family, my wife, my children, and my possessions; I have spent twenty years to keep this little property!” Was he willing to give it to his brother Esau? Why give? Out of fear of death. When he met his brother Esau, he said, “My lord, this is a gift from your servant.” How humble he sounded! Did he really give? No. Esau said, “I have enough; let what is yours be yours.” Jacob was not at ease and said, “Please accept it.” So brothers and sisters, if someone is begging you to accept a gift, be careful.
When Esau said, “Okay, then I will accept it,” did he feel at ease? Not at all. He did not live with his brother; he stayed far away from him. When people do not understand God’s grace, they do not know how to receive God’s grace and will not willingly give. Brothers and sisters, your possessions are held by God for you, everything you have is given to you by God, your blessings are given to you by God, and your possessions are given to you by God; others cannot take them away. If you do not understand this, you will rely on your own efforts to hold onto it, but what does the Bible say?
Psalm 127:1… Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
If God does not protect you, how can you protect all this? God had already changed Esau’s heart twenty years ago; Esau was not thinking, “I want to take back all the things my brother stole from me!” He had no such thought; God had already changed his heart because he had plenty of possessions. But Jacob, because he did not recognize God’s grace and did not receive God’s grace, did not realize this.
Until he was old, he had a son named Joseph, who became the prime minister of Egypt. Before that, he was in great pain every day. His first half of life was spent fighting with his brother, the later part fighting with his uncle, and after that, fighting with his sons. If this blessing were given to you, would you want it? His life was indeed very rich, but he had many battles! He was very annoyed with his sons. Because the two children born to his favorite wife were sold, one was sold by his brothers. When he lost his beloved son, he felt very sad. So one day, when his sons told him, “Joseph is not dead,” do you know what Jacob thought at that time? Impossible; he had long stopped believing those sons.
Jacob actually has the characteristics of a person who does not believe in Jesus: a lifetime of struggle. Although he gained many things, he actually paid a higher price. How many people, in order to make money, end up with nothing in their family, no children? It’s not that he has no children, but because he has no time to accompany them, he has lost even more. He becomes indifferent and callous, hard-hearted towards everyone because you cannot earn money without being hard-hearted. You have to deceive and pretend to be a “smiling tiger,” deceiving others while not letting them see through you. It’s very tiring because they do not understand God’s grace and have not received God’s grace.
Later, Jacob said, “Alright, I will go and see you.” When he saw his youngest son Joseph, from that moment on, Jacob truly recognized God’s grace and began to receive God’s grace because he had exhausted everything. He went to Egypt to buy food, and when he went again, they required him to bring his youngest son. When he went to Egypt, he actually had very little to boast about. Who provided everything for him? That’s right, it was his son Joseph. Joseph symbolizes our heavenly Jesus Christ; when did Jacob truly change? When he realized that everything was provided for him by Joseph and that it was given to him freely, his heart was truly comforted.
I do not expect brothers and sisters to wait until old age to recognize Jesus and say, “I can receive His supply and His grace.” You have wasted too much time in your life; most people are like this. I want to clarify this point for everyone; I do not want you to be like Jacob, desperately grasping and grasping… until you have nothing left, and then you are willing to rely on God. It’s not that you cannot, but you have lost the blessings and peace you should have enjoyed. Amen!
God was willing to bless him from the beginning, but he spent his whole life and only recognized God’s grace in old age. Most of his life was spent relying on himself, living very, very tired. It’s really a pity; he would not receive and was absolutely not willing to give. He lived his whole life in struggle until he arrived in Egypt and knew Joseph’s status and wealth; then he put down all his past tricks and skills and relied solely on this son. Amen! It was from that moment on that he blessed Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:7-10
7 Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How many years have you lived?” 9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning are 130 years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh again and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
He lived to 130 years, and he said, looking back on his life, it was few and evil. How were the days of his ancestors in the world? Here he mentions his ancestors, referring to two people: Abraham and Isaac, his grandfather and father. Abraham and Isaac died satisfied; why did it turn out this way for Jacob? Is it because God does not love him? He did not recognize God’s grace. It’s not that God did not give him; it’s that he did not recognize God’s grace and was always relying on himself. Not understanding how to receive grace, he could not live out grace and would not give out grace.
He mentioned that his father was satisfied, and his ancestors were so blessed; what was his father like? Isaac was a representative of obedience, while Jacob was a representative of disobedience. You can see that a person who is disobedient, Jacob had already reached the extreme. Can you be worse than him? He could even fight with his own sons and did not spare his own relatives; this is the characteristic of many people.
Isaac was obedient, always receiving Abraham’s teachings, willing to believe in God in everything, looking foolish. Did Isaac’s life resemble Jacob’s? Does the Bible say how much Isaac suffered? Did anyone deceive him? Did anyone chase him? Why is there such a huge difference in fate among the three generations? Isaac actually did not have so many twists and turns; God did not let him encounter so many problems. It’s not to say he wouldn’t encounter any storms; he would. But when dealing with problems, they were completely different. Isaac understood God’s grace; his heart was indeed larger than others, and he was willing to give, not calculating gains and losses. Where did he learn this? That’s right, from his father Abraham!
Abraham was such a “foolish” person. I have shared with everyone before that Abraham would see guests coming from afar every day at the tent door, “hurrying” over, “Dear guests, come to our house for something to eat, drink some water, and wash your feet before you leave.” It looks like Christians are foolish. They didn’t even ask you. But was Abraham a blessed person? Very blessed; his son Isaac learned this too, treating others very well, just like we say, doing things without thinking, even if he lost, he was still happy.
Genesis 26:2-5
2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands, and in your offspring, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
Did God say any of these words to Jacob? Yes, when did He say them? After Jacob deceived his brother for the blessing of the firstborn and knew that his brother wanted to kill him, he ran away from home with just a staff. One night, he slept with his head on a stone at Bethel. He had a dream, and God told him, “I will bless you; wherever you go, I will provide food and drink for you.” At that time, Jacob also heard this word; I am the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac; today I will be your God. The same blessing, but the response of the people is different, right? Isaac completely believed, Abraham also completely believed, but when it came to Jacob, he did not believe. He said, “No, you have to give me some promises; I need to eat well, dress warmly, and return safely, then I will take you as my God.”
Too clever. We say, be smart with people, but don’t be so smart with God; it will harm you. With God, you just need to believe. Isaac was exactly such a representative of complete belief and obedience. God said, “Do not leave this place; do not go to Egypt. Although the land of the Gentiles is good, you stay here, and I will bless you. Not only will I bless you, but I will also bless your offspring because your father listened to my words; can you listen to my words now?”
Isaac said, “I believe You.” In Genesis 26:12, 12 Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13 and he became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. … 20 And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So Isaac named the well Esek because they contended with him (Esek means “contention”).
Was Isaac blessed by God? Yes, he became wealthier and wealthier until he became very wealthy. So brothers and sisters, if you want to be blessed in the world like Isaac, don’t pray, “Lord, today give me how much money, let it fall into my house!” The principle of God’s blessing is that you believe in Him, and you will increase. Isn’t it that your hands must do something?
Isaac was farming in that place; brothers and sisters, in the New Testament, God also tells us to be diligent in doing proper things. God wants to bless you through what you do with your hands, turning everything around for you. Hallelujah! Was Isaac wealthy because God blessed him? Yes, he believed so. Isaac always thought: I can prosper in this place because God blesses me.
So the Bible also writes, Gen 26:12 … the Lord blessed him, …
When Jacob had many cattle and sheep, how did he speak to his uncle? “I suffered through cold and heat in the wilderness, I endured various dangers, and only then did I obtain these possessions; do you want to take them away?” Whose achievement is it? He thought it was his own effort. “I put in so much effort! I had to compensate for the wolves taking them away.” Jacob never thought it was God who blessed him, that God was protecting him; he always thought it was his own effort. But Isaac believed that everything was blessed by God. He first learned to receive; Isaac’s life was completely different from Jacob’s.
When Jacob gave, he had to calculate how much he could recover from his losses. Would he kill me? He estimated that three waves would calm his anger. Isaac did not need to do this at all; he thought, “Aren’t you quarreling with me? We see where the problem lies. The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen over water. In that era, digging a well was not easy; there were no advanced tools, and it took a lot of money and manpower. Digging down, it was not guaranteed to yield water; without water, people and money would be wasted. Alright, Isaac dug a well, and water came out. The herdsmen of Gerar said, “This well is mine.”
What will you do? Think about it again; if it were Jacob, how would he handle it? “Brothers, let’s go! Even if we can’t win, we have to fight! I worked hard to dig a well, and you say it’s yours?” I think those who do not believe would handle the problem this way, “I worked hard to dig it; I spent so much money and so many days to dig it out, and now you say it’s yours?” But how did Isaac do it? Isaac did not argue with them; when those people said this well is mine, Isaac said, “It’s yours.” Do you think Isaac is foolish? Too foolish. The key is that this did not happen just once; he gave that well to them, moved to another place, dug another well, and water came out again. They said, “This well is also mine!” What did Isaac do? “Alright, it’s yours.” Isaac dug a third well, and they did not contend anymore; he named that well Rehoboth, why did he name it Rehoboth?
He said, “The Lord has now given us room, and we shall be fruitful in this land.” His heart was wide. Isaac knew that everything given to me is God’s grace. If you want it, I can give it to you, but you can never take away the blessings that God wants to give me; you can never take away the blessings that God has given me. I spent money, hired people, but when I go to a place, I can dig another well, and God will still bless me.” Isaac did not hate those people; he sincerely said, “If you want to rob, I can give it to you; I’m too lazy to argue with you.” Isaac’s heart was wide, so he did not argue with them. Amen!
A person who understands grace has a wide heart and will not argue with others over high and low, nor will they calculate right and wrong. Some things, let him win; what does it matter? The story of the six-foot alley is about two families quarreling over three feet of land. One person wrote to a relative in the capital and said, “Hurry up and send someone to destroy that family.” That relative wrote back a letter saying, “A thousand-mile letter is only for a wall; what does it matter if I let him have three feet? The Great Wall still stands, but where is Qin Shi Huang?” Three feet of land, to write a letter a thousand miles away to ask me to deal with him; what does it matter if I let him have three feet? Qin Shi Huang built such a big wall; where is he now? In the end, that family said, “I will not argue with you; I will let you have three feet.” The other side said, “I will let you have three feet too.” The story of the six-foot alley became a good story.
When one understands God’s grace and is willing to make concessions, you are not losing; you are gaining; God will not let you lose. Did Isaac retreat? If you want it, I will give it to you, then give you again, give you again, give you again; after three times, they no longer wanted it. Do you know what happened next? The king of Gerar came to Isaac and said, “I know that it is your God who blesses you; please do not come and kill me.” He began to be afraid. “Can we make a covenant today? Your people cannot kill my people, and my people will not infringe upon you; let’s make an agreement.” Isaac merely made a concession; why could they see Isaac’s great power? Because of the power of God behind him, these people saw it.
Brothers and sisters, let others see the power of God behind you. If every time there is a problem, you fight with others, others will say, “You are of such character.” They cannot see God’s grace in you. Those who do not understand God’s grace or do not know how to correctly receive God’s grace will not easily make concessions or easily give. Isaac understood in his heart: the blessings that God wants to give me, you cannot take away. So he did not argue with them and ultimately chose to give to them. The reason these people from Gerar wanted to rob was that they had dug many wells without water; they were so pitiful that they could only rob others’ blessings.
I want to tell everyone to first learn to receive His grace from God, then willingly and joyfully give it away. When you give, God will give you more, just like Isaac, who in the end, God gave him a wide place and made those people come to him to make peace; this is the power of grace. Amen!
Let’s look at a passage of scripture, Luke 10:38-42,
38 As they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Were both Martha and Mary serving? But actually, Martha did not recognize God’s grace; she did not receive grace from God before serving. Was Martha’s heart good? Yes, indeed, when guests come home, it is not okay for everyone to sit there while no one is in the kitchen.
Martha saw this, and going to the kitchen was not wrong in itself; Jesus did not criticize her, saying, “Martha, who told you to run to the kitchen?” Jesus merely said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” Jesus only pointed out that Martha should not have these worries. Why would a person serving still complain? Because she felt wronged, “You all sit there while I am busy alone in the kitchen.” She felt wronged. When comparing, her heart became unbalanced. Do you think when she feels wronged, she is giving willingly? Not willingly, brothers and sisters.
I want to tell everyone, whether we are sitting here or busy in the kitchen, are we rewarded the same? Yes, it is the same; it’s just that Martha does not understand this. Martha did not receive God’s grace; what she gave out was merely what her eyes could see.
We are the same; no matter what kind of service we do in the church, if we do not receive God’s power and serve with His love, we will complain. We will feel it’s unfair, “Why am I giving so much? What have you all done for this church?” When comparing, complaints arise. But if you understand God’s grace and receive God’s grace, you will say, “Although what I do today is unseen by anyone, I am doing it before God.” You will be willing and happy at all times.
Is there service at home? Sisters take care of children and cook; this kind of service is rarely seen by others, and sometimes it does not seem to have any effect. But sisters, this kind of service is also valued by God. Although your husband is out on the “battlefield” fighting, indeed very glorious, having face in front of people, at home, you have substance, but the blessings you receive are the same as his; you are just serving from different positions.
If you say, “Why am I busy at home, and no one can see me?” If you are not giving willingly, you will produce complaints and bitterness. Therefore, we must first learn to receive grace from God, then willingly and joyfully give it away.
Martha did not understand this; perhaps after serving for a while, she felt uncomfortable and came out, actually blaming Jesus and Mary, saying, “Lord, my sister has left me to serve alone.” Do you see? Do you think Martha’s heart was filled with resentment? It proves that she was indeed not giving willingly; if she understood that Mary was listening to Jesus’ teaching while I was preparing food for them, although Jesus provides spiritual food, I provide physical food; we are doing the same thing! Would she complain? No, why would she complain? She would say, “What I am doing is just as important; someone has to do these things.” But Martha did not receive God’s grace, did not receive God’s love, or to put it another way, she was not served by Jesus, so her service came from herself.
I hope everyone first receives Jesus’ service, first receives Jesus’ grace, then willingly and joyfully gives it away. What Jesus gives you is free, without asking for repayment. So I also hope that no matter where you serve others or give to others, you should give them grace. That is to help them and care for them without expecting anything in return. Amen! When you do not expect repayment, God will naturally repay you. At that time, Mary was just sitting at Jesus’ feet, receiving Jesus’ service. Just like you, sitting down to listen to the word is actually a very important thing; if you cannot sit down at all, your service will definitely be restless and full of various problems. Just like Jacob, he could not sit down, always thinking about how to calculate others. But today, you first rest at Jesus’ feet and listen to His words; we can live like Isaac or choose to live like Jacob. You can choose either way. But Isaac was a person who completely believed in God’s grace and believed in God’s provision, so his whole life was blessed that way.
I hope every brother and sister, starting today, we learn to receive God’s grace. When receiving, you give willingly, Hallelujah! Willingly. Therefore, later, Mary’s service was continuous; do you know? Mary’s service was continuous; she was different from Martha. Martha might be able to cook while humming a song when she was in a good mood, but when she was in a bad mood, she might be cursing inside; these are two different things. One draws strength from God, while the other draws strength from herself.
We are all giving to others and constantly receiving; no one says, “I only give and never need anyone to give me anything.” Except for Jesus. Everyone, including me, is the same. I serve you and also need your service; I pray for you and also need you to pray for me; I give you the love of Christ while also expecting you to love me. But to put it another way, I do not do this service just for that reason; do you understand? I am willing to supply you; if you do not return anything to me, I believe God will give to me. We are all doing this; everyone is a receiver, and our receiving comes from God; it is just that God uses different people to comfort us, lead us, and help us. When giving, it is also willingly and joyfully given. Hallelujah!
Let’s look at a passage of scripture, 1 Peter 5:1-4
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Peter gives us an exhortation, telling us: we are all witnesses of Christ’s suffering. Many people understand this passage to mean: we must suffer for Jesus! Not at all! We are witnesses of Christ’s suffering; who suffers? Christ suffers! He brings us blessings. Not everyone has to suffer and then testify for Jesus, “I suffered for Jesus; how much did you suffer for Jesus?” This is wrong! How many scriptures under the law are explained to you like this, saying, “In the past, I suffered so much for Jesus; I was beaten so much, and so on…” What they are saying is, I am an elder, a witness of Christ’s suffering; every one of us is a witness of Christ’s suffering. Amen!
What suffering did Jesus Christ endure for us? By His wounds, we are healed; by His punishment, we have peace. Should we be such witnesses? Exactly, such a witness will bring comfort to many people, allowing them to rely on Jesus in sickness, to rely on Jesus in tribulation. When we do this as witnesses, we share in the glory that is to be revealed later; isn’t it the same glory as Jesus Christ? That’s right; we are witnesses of Jesus Christ’s suffering, and in the future, we will share in the same glory as Jesus.
Then it goes on to say, “I exhort the elders among you, 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you.”
That is to say, when Jesus tells us to take care of them, it is not out of compulsion but willingly; this is service. Only when we receive God’s grace can we serve willingly; is it conditional? Can everyone understand this? In fact, the heart can feel it between hearts; we are talking about the feeling between spirits. Is it true help? It can be seen because we all have the Holy Spirit inside us, so “not under compulsion, but willingly. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly.” God hopes that each of our services is willingly.
This is not only in the church but also in the family and at work; it should all be willingly. Because you must first understand that you are a person who receives God’s grace; what is the purpose of Jesus Christ giving you all these blessings? To let you give it away. What is the purpose of Jesus Christ giving you wealth? To let you give it away. Why does Jesus Christ want you to understand so much of His grace? To let you give grace away too. Therefore, since Jesus allows us to receive life, receive blessings, and receive wealth without charging, I hope you also understand that when you give these away, do so willingly and joyfully.
Then it goes on to say, “When the chief Shepherd appears…” When Jesus Christ comes again. On the day of judgment, you will receive the unfading crown of glory, Amen! Our service is for the: unfading crown of glory. I help you, and you repay me, and that’s it; you have already received your due reward.
If you give, and others do not repay you, congratulations! God will give you eternal rewards. So brothers and sisters, we must do such service! What you give away, others cannot repay you at all; it is not that I treat you to a meal, and next time you treat me to a meal, and that’s the end; such service is not worth anything.
God tells us that when you give to the poor, he cannot repay you; the Father will repay you personally. When God gives to you, is it one-for-one? No. God will bless you like He blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the blessings God gives you are not only for you but also include your offspring. Hallelujah! So I hope every brother and sister will first learn to receive.
One person asked me, “Ren Jiao, what about my son? He is now in middle school, and I give him 50 yuan every week, and he spends it all. Why doesn’t he know how to save like my daughter?”
I said, “Let me ask you a question; after your son spends it all, does he ask you for more?”
He said, “No, he doesn’t.”
I said, “You give him 50 yuan; do you hope he spends it?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “Then why are you worried?”
He said, “I’m worried; why does he spend it all?”
I said, “If a person does not learn to spend money first, he will not earn money.” If you give him 50, and he comes back to give you 49, this son is destined to not succeed.
I said, “Do you know what he spends that money on?”
He said, “He treats friends to meals, does this and that.”
I said, “That’s a good thing.”
If today you do not know this is God’s grace, how can you give it away? His son knows, “This money is given to me by my parents; it is for me to spend. Since it is given to me, the autonomy is in my hands; I can use this money to make friends and do things.” If you give him 50, and he comes back to give you 49, it proves what problem? He hasn’t moved at all; he doesn’t dare.
Why would he give it back to you? Is it like the parable of the thousand taels of silver? I give you a thousand taels, and after the master leaves, he buries that thousand taels and comes back to say, “Look, this thousand taels is here; I return it to you.” This proves what kind of person? He did nothing. God gives us grace not to hope that one day, “Lord, look, the grace You gave me, I have kept it here, and I return it to You.” God does not want this; God hopes you will give His grace away. Hallelujah! First learn to receive help from others; when others help you, you must first learn to receive help from others; this indeed requires a breakthrough.
At first, when others wanted to give me offerings, I actually felt very awkward; I thought, “I’m really sorry! I really feel embarrassed to ask for it.” One day God opened my eyes and said, “This is someone’s offering before God; after you receive it, you must help more people and do more things.” I understood that a person who first accepts help from others will sincerely help others.
When others help me, I willingly accept their help, and at the same time, I also help more people. I hope our church is like this; those who listen to the word must understand this. First accept God’s grace, then give grace away. First receive God’s love, then give God’s love away, not your own. We are just channels of God. Hallelujah! First learn to receive God’s grace, then willingly give to others.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You; thank You for giving us such words, allowing us to first learn to be receivers of Your grace. Everything we have is freely given to us by You, loving us unconditionally; when we understand this love and understand Your grace, we can willingly give it away. As we begin this week, we are willing to receive Your grace, receive Your strength, and live and love others and give with Your strength.
No matter what I was like in the past, perhaps like Jacob, constantly relying on myself to grasp and exchange for blessings, but I am willing to put all of this down and receive Your provision, believing in You like Isaac and Abraham, and You will bless me doubly. When my eyes see Your grace, I will be willing to give. What I receive is Your love; what I give out is Your love.
Lord! Let me also be a witness of Christ’s suffering because Jesus Christ’s suffering makes us blessed people. I am willing to testify for more people about Jesus and what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross; my service is not in front of people, not to please people, but like a servant of Jesus Christ, serving willingly. Because I know that the person I serve is not me serving him, but serving the Lord. What I do, the Lord will reward me according to what I have done. I do not expect their repayment; I am willing to expect Your repayment. Give me this faith, give me this strength. In this week, let me live out Your glory. All glory be to You! In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen! Hallelujah!