Paul quotes something Jesus apparently said (it's not in the gospels): 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' This is counterintuitive to every human instinct. We think receiving feels better. But Paul insists it's the opposite.
I'm a financial advisor, and this verse drives my counseling. Most people come to me focused on receiving—getting the best return, building wealth, securing their retirement. I don't blame them. But I also ask: what would it look like to orient your finances around giving instead? What if receiving were the problem to solve, not the goal to achieve?
I watched my grandfather work sixty-hour weeks to amass a large estate. He was miserable. Then late in life, he started giving it away. He funded scholarships, supported missionaries, helped his grandchildren with college. He became joyful. He'd finally figured out the math: more blessed to give means more blessed emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. I'm helping my clients understand this too. The richest life isn't the one with the most. It's the one with the most given away.
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