In the economy of God there are certain spiritual laws that always seem to ring true. One of these wonderful spiritual laws is found in (Acts 20:35): “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Each one of us is in possession of a basket of resources that I like to call the three “T’s.” We all have our time, our talents, and our treasury. I have found in my Christian walk that when I give of my time, talents, and treasury (or finances) to others, God always blesses me with great joy.
And when I sacrifice myself for the cause of Christ, yes, sometimes I receive persecution, but I also receive great joy in the process. The great thing about this joy is that it is both current and eternal. (Matthew 5:11-12) states the case for eternal joy: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” And (Acts 5:40-41) states the case for current joy: “And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So, they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
As I have studied this whole area of joy I believe we are wired by the Lord to receive joy as a by-product of our sharing of our resources with others; and this includes sharing not just the gospel. On a personal note, my daily website devotional posts, which take a lot of my time to write and share each day, bring me an amazing amount of joy knowing that I am hopefully being an encouragement to other Christians. In addition, I have met many wonderful people through my website which brings me additional joy. This ministry is indeed a labor of love for me and the sacrifice in time spent is well worth my efforts. I love what R. C. Sproul shared regarding this: “Hold your possessions so loosely that when they are lost in the sacrifices of love, your confidence in a supreme Treasure in heaven will fill you with joy.”1
In their marvelous book, Fearfully and Wonderfully – The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image, authors Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, share one of the most profound statements I have ever heard on joy. I ask you to take a few moments to contemplate on their amazingly insightful thought: “I have learned that service also opens up levels of personal fulfillment far exceeding any others. We are called to self-denial, not for its own sake but for a compensation we can obtain in no other way.”2 I believe that one facet of this compensation is Christian joy. So, as a Christian, the next time you choose to practice self-denial in the form of sacrificing your time, talents, and treasury for others, get ready to experience amazing joy both in the present and in the future!
1 Inspirational Quotes by R. C. Sproul – page 3 (bibleportal.com)
2 Brand, Dr. Paul; Yancey, Philip. Fearfully and Wonderfully (p. 64). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
I am so grateful for your daily devotionals. I pray God continue to bless you for your humble and selfless obedience.
May the Lord continue blessing you in writing these devotionals, that are also a blessing to me and so many others.