August 1, 2024 Receive Generously
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Read: Matthew 10:40-42 Graciously Receiving
Jesus said, “We are intimately linked in this harvest work.
Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you.
Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me.
Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger.
Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. …
The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice.
You won’t lose out on a thing.”
Matthew 10:40-42, Message
As the first-born and oldest of four siblings, a fierce independent streak runs through me. From early childhood, my mantra was “I Can Do It Myself.” I heard and embraced the verse “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). (Note: This verse is not found in the gospels but in the Book of Acts, in which the Apostle Paul quotes Jesus to Ephesus’ church elders, who needed the reminder.)
Certainly, Jesus embodied this principle of the Christian faith throughout his ministry and the giving of his life on the cross for our salvation. But Eugene Peterson’s interpretation of these verses in the Message enlightened me to another side of the generosity coin that I previously glossed over:
Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger.
Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help.
In other words, knowing how to receive is as important as giving. We need to give, certainly, but also willingly and graciously receive from others. Receiving their gift is receiving Christ (Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me.) Likewise, the opposite is true: to reject or decline the gift is to reject or decline Christ. As Matthew Henry expressed it in his commentary on these verses,
By entertaining Christ’s ministers, [we] entertain not “angels unawares” but Christ, nay, and God himself (see also Matthew 25:37-40).*
As examples, we entertain Christ’s ministers – and Christ – when we graciously receive a “thank you” for helping where needed rather than minimizing our effort or saying it was nothing; when we receive a heartfelt Christmas or birthday gift even when we did not reciprocate the gesture; or when we humbly accept meals when ill or going through a stressful time rather than decline them because we don’t want to trouble others.
To receive from another is to receive from Christ, nay, God Himself. It’s one way we remove the mask of self-determination and control to humbly embrace our dependence on God, our Creator and Father.
Reflect: How does Peterson’s interpretation or Matthew Henry’s commentary on this passage change how you think about receiving gifts of kindness or help from others?
Pray: Heavenly Father, Thank You for teaching me through Your Word that it is indeed more blessed to give than to receive. Yet, in my eagerness to serve and help others, I often forget the blessing of receiving. Open my heart to see that when I accept the kindness and generosity of others, I am welcoming You and Your love into my life. Teach me to embrace my dependence on You and to trust in Your provision through the hands of those around me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria
*Matthew Henry’s Commentary, accessed online, Matthew 10:40-42.