Verse of the Week
“…remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
I believe the best definition of “grace” (charis in the Greek) is joy-giving. That’s the gospel: a gift of joy. That’s Christmas. And what feels better at Christmas than watching someone light up over what you gave them?
You know the feeling. You picked the perfect gift, and then you get to watch it land. The giver gets the joy, too.
It works the same way with God. When we received Christ as our Savior, we were joyful, but so was He. Even the angels rejoiced! (Luke 15:10)
I got a front-row seat to this on my trip to the Dominican Republic. It was a week of almost trying to out-give each other.
“You sit in front.”
“No, you sit in front.”
“Are you trying to deny me the blessing of giving you the front seat?”
Rather fun, really. But it was bigger than that. My hosts, Andrew and Dawn, raised the money to make all three Ezra Institute conferences free for everyone who attended, including a meal at all four meetings (the marriage conference ran two nights). The people who came were receptive and thankful, and I don’t think they were the only ones who were happy. Giving was great fun.
So here’s my challenge for the week: give somebody a gift they didn’t expect. Give up the front seat, buy the lunch, pay for the coffee. Then watch their face, and see who ends up the happier one.
Be encouraged,
dan
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