“Fill and Be Filled”
“…by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
Paul the Apostle had just finished telling the Ephesian Elders that he sensed a clear leading by the Holy Spirit and that God’s plan was going to lead him through some very difficult circumstances. God had made it clear to Paul that following His will would not be an easy path to follow. Paul was committed to God’s purposes because he understood what truly mattered and what was at stake.
Following God’s will in our lives is rarely comfortable. Sometimes it leads to loss and loneliness. Sometimes it causes conflict with friends and family. Sometimes it requires us to make sacrifices that we don’t want to make. It always means we have to put our needs, wants, and desires in the Lord’s hands as we put Him and others first.
The world tells us we need this, and we need that, and we need to spend our time and energy getting ours while the getting is good. The world tells us it is more blessed to receive than to give. Jesus tells us it is more blessed to give than to receive. Who do we believe? Do we trust God or the world? Do we put our faith in what we can see or in the unseen? Better yet, who do we live like we believe?
Even though following God’s will and doing things the way He says to do them can be hard and rarely makes sense, it is always the best way to go. Paul’s example should encourage us to pray for clear knowledge of God’s will and the courage and power to obey it.
At Kitchen One for One, one of our taglines is “Fill and Be Filled” … The end result of all our planning and prepping and cooking and volunteering and fundraising efforts is to fill others with nourishment for their bodies, minds, hearts, and souls. This embodies what Jesus was talking about when he said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.”
We do it for Him. We do it for others.
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38
