We don’t have a gospel record of Jesus saying it, but Paul tells us in Acts 20:33-35 that the Lord said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” When I first learned this verse as a child, it struck me as completely counterintuitive. I’ve since found that many of the sayings of Jesus naturally do exactly that. They’re often counterintuitive because they go against the grain of what the world generally teaches us, as well as against our selfish experiences. For me, this one was no exception, and my juvenile mind struggled to see the truth in it. For instance, how could the loss inherent in giving someone a monetary gift be better than the addition of receiving a monetary gift? How could spending my limited energy, my uncomfortable effort, and my finite time in service to someone’s needs or desires possibly be better than someone spending their energy, effort, and time on my needs or desires? It just didn’t make sense.
Then, as I grew older, some Christians explained to me that there are benefits associated with giving and that this is what Jesus meant. For instance, they argued that you’ll feel better about yourself, and that you’ll receive joy when you see the good you’ve done for others. They explained that giving will produce psychological feel-good effects that are better than the transient effects of receiving some kind of material blessing, or some kind of service from someone else. Of course, they are not wrong in that argument. At least not exactly. It doesn’t take much focused thinking to see that the effects they described are rooted in sensuality – not the sexual kind, but the kind that is anchored to human physical and emotional senses. Obviously, these benefits are not evil, and one should enjoy them when they come by appropriate means, but to chase them as a reason for moral action seems dangerous. Surely Jesus didn’t mean that giving was better than receiving because it resulted solely in a sensual high. He must have meant something more. And besides, what other less noble things might we chase if our sole reason is to receive a sensual high?
I have since come to see that giving is both a sign and a promoter of spiritual growth. The natural human tendency is to hoard, or to manipulate, or to give with an expectation of return. But the Christian who doesn’t hoard, or manipulate, or expect remuneration (but who isn’t a foolish spendthrift) has grown spiritually because he is one who has recognized that God is the provider of all wealth. So, he freely gives, trusting God that there’s an abundant supply for his needs. He has a real and actionable faith, and in the moment of his giving, he has evicted from his heart a love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). When he has developed a desire, a standard, and a habit of giving in all of his life’s domains, whether they be economic, or chronometric, or any other measure, he has grown more like his Lord.
God, without any doubt, is a sacrificially giving God who is committed to the well being of others in his giving (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:5-6). When we develop a heart of giving, we become more like him, and that is why it is better to give than to receive.