Give & Receive

It is better to give than receive, so give your life to God, knowing that you can never outgive God.

“Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the tent of meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” 2 Chronicles 1:1-12

Don’t you wish that all of these special moments in Scripture had been captured on film? Wouldn’t it be great to watch and rewatch the time when Solomon is offered anything his heart desired, to see how long it took him to answer? Is there any possibility that he hesitated? Is there any chance he thought to himself, anything? Anything?

The Scriptures do not record his emotional process, but we know his posture and prayer pleased the Lord. How would you respond to an offer like that? What do you want more than anything in the world? Solomon wanted to do God’s will and do the work he had been given well. Solomon gave his life to God. He prayed for wisdom because his heart was humble enough to know he did not know everything. He prayed for knowledge because he knew there was a way that was righteous.

God said, since your desire is to do my will, my will is to grant every desire. What an interesting interchange. Think about the Lord’s Prayer for a second. Jesus prayed, our Father in heaven, blessed is your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Like Solomon, his goal was to give his life to God so that God’s will would be done.

What would happen if each of us aligned our will with the will of our Father in heaven? Would the kingdom not come? Would God not bless us like Solomon? Is it possible that we need to offer our lives as a living sacrifice and realign our desires with God’s? Would that be easy for you to do, or would that require more change than you are willing to endure?

“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor…why gaze in envy…Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death. Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord…Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens.”

Psalms 68:4-34

One of the best gifts that you can give God is praise. It is the right response when you consider all that He has done and how generous He is. He gave us life, kept the planets aligned, provides for our needs, and cares personally for each of us. How will you give back to God with your praise?

David takes things a step further than what one might expect. Most of us would willingly be generous to a friend or in return for a favor. David sang about how God helps those who could never pay Him back. He sang of those who are most vulnerable: the fatherless, the widow, the poor. Jesus spoke about the same people in Matthew 25 and said that as you help those who most need it, you help me.

Who could you bless who could never return the favor? Giving like God requires a sacrifice that can never be repaid. Are there strings attached when you are generous? Are you growing in your giving? Do you see your wealth as your own or as something you steward? Like Solomon, your heart is what God desires that you give Him the most.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue. Those who are kind benefit themselves…the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward…The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. The desire of the righteous ends only in good…One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” Proverbs 11:2-30

Do you think Solomon thought back to his encounter with the Lord when he wrote these words? Do you think he thought about how he had humbled himself and, in doing so, had been given the gift of wisdom? These are not just bumper-sticker-type sayings, but words that had come to life for him that he hoped to give to others so that they might find life.

Is it not fascinating that the wealthiest person to have ever lived said that wealth is worthless on the day of wrath? He said the righteous will reap a sure reward. He said those who refresh others will be refreshed. Those who are kind benefit themselves. Don’t these words have extra meaning when you consider that Solomon’s prayer was to be a blessing to God’s people, and in doing so, God blessed him?

Consider for a moment the current culture we live in. One of the phrases that is often used to describe our culture is consumerism. It is common to always desire more for oneself. We live in a world that consumes, wants more, then consumes, then wants more. How have you been impacted by the culture of consumerism and the worldly ways that seek one’s own gain above others? What would happen if our prayers shifted to how we could bless more rather than consume more?

“I will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster. “Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the LORD’s vengeance; he will repay her what she deserves. Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad. Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.” Jeremiah 51:2-8

What would happen if you replaced the name Babylon with the United States? Is it possible that the message for ancient times could be relevant for all of us? We were a country founded on God’s will according to God’s providence but have gotten off course like a small ship in roaring seas. This is not a political commentary, but a call to turn to God and align our will with His.

There are many people who have sacrificed and served this country. There are many people who gave their lives for others. But we need to be aware of what is happening all around us. The spirit of service and sacrifice is not as commonplace as it once was. We have drifted from the days of Solomon, who prayed that he could do God’s will, to a time in which the desires of the average person might be for creature comforts or personal prosperity.

Babylon was prosperous, and so is our country. Yet she did not use her prosperity to inspire devotion; rather, she used her wealth to party and get people to drink the cup of the flesh. We could write a text like this off as outdated, but it is far more relevant than it first appears. The idea of changing our whole world could be overwhelming, but like Solomon, changing the world starts with a single decision to give God all we have. God can do more with one devoted heart than the world can do with an army against Him.

The prayer is simple. Lord, your will be done. I offer you all I have and all I am. Give me the wisdom and knowledge to live a life pleasing to you. It is the Lord’s Prayer retold.

“Paul…said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. In everything I did, I showed you that 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 20:17-35

Paul and Solomon lived in very different times, but their hearts and lives were strikingly similar. Solomon asked for wisdom so he could do the work God had given him. Paul said his one desire was to finish the work Jesus had given him. Neither man’s desire nor focus was on what he could get out of life. Neither focused on what he could gain. Both desired to give their lives to God.

As they surrendered, they learned a surprising truth. You can never outgive God. Those who refresh others will be refreshed. Those who bless others will be blessed. God is always generous and faithful. He gave Solomon wisdom and Paul power. Like David sang, God is good, God is generous, God provides, and God is worthy of all that we have.

Wisdom redirects. It exposes the ways of the world as opposite to the kingdom of heaven. The world tells us to get all we can. Following Jesus, our hearts turn outward. We ask, who can I bless? How can I serve? What has God placed in my hands that I can use to advance the kingdom? Our time, talents, resources, and our very lives are gifts we can give as an offering of praise. It is better to give than to receive.

Jesus taught us to pray like Solomon. Lord, your will be done. Ask God to give you the wisdom to help someone else today and use your gifts for godly purposes. Turn away from the scarcity mindset toward the joy of giving out of abundance received. Ask who you can serve, encourage, refresh, and bless. God loves a cheerful giver, so give willingly, knowing that no matter who you are or what you give, you can never outgive God. The righteous will reap a sure reward thanks to gift of grace of the cross.