Giving and Receiving

Giving and Receiving the True Riches

“Give, and good measure will be given to you, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, they will give into your bosom. For the same measure which you measure, it will be measured back to you”
Luke 6:38

The secret of living is found in our giving. The economy of God is an expression of His Own heart. While we were yet sinners, estranged, lost, and wandering, He gave Himself on our behalf. His generosity is to invade our own. His Love is to create within us the same selfless giving. He has purposed this life to be one of receiving based on our degree of giving. While many use this truth regarding the “unrighteousness mammon”, first and foremost it is spiritual, which is the true riches. God’s giving is of Himself, not just things. As we give of ourselves to others we, in turn, experience the wonder of that overflowing measure.

It is interesting in this scripture that the receiving is into your “bosom” not necessarily your bank account. The true riches of God in Christ are His graces and His character. Those who live and walk in Him are able to give those same riches into the lives of others.

“What makes the Dead Sea dead? Because it is all the time receiving, never giving out anything. Why is it that many Christians are cold? Because they are all the time receiving, never giving out anything”.
– Dwight L. Moody

Brian Troxel

Becoming Free in Christ

Becoming Free In Christ

“Freely you have received, freely give…”

The true art of life is generosity. To give freely of ourselves is the revelation of our Savior’s presence within. How freely, how undeservedly we have received of His great mercy. Shall not that heart transform us from the stinginess of giving things rather than ourselves? To give of our time, effort, and most importantly our heart to those around us is life. To live in the freedom of each moment is to give with no thought to our own resources or concerns.

That is freedom.

To seek out the true welfare of another soul at our expense is true life. Life does not consist in what one has, but in the ability to give to others what has been so freely given to us. The Body of Christ today is one of ours, mine, us and they. All of these things denote a wrong thinking, which of course produces wrong living. I hear the term “our church”, “our pastor”, and “we believe”… how it crushes the real heart of all that we have been called to. Paul called himself a “steward” of the grace of God. A steward is one who owns nothing, but simply manages the wealth of another. Truth, Life and Power are only such in the giving of them away, freely and without expectation of any return.

The New Law

The only Law which governs true generosity is the Law of His Love and Wisdom. Love is never impoverished, for in and of itself is the very treasure of God! Men who are always talking of their poverty have not touched the reality of His Love. Love is not aware of itself. It has no vested interest in its state or “feelings”. It gives because that is its very nature. It lives because He lives. It defends not itself, holds on to nothing, and takes no account of its own resources. It is a life that lives in the sheer wonder of God’s Glory and resources. It is no wonder that the Eternal Son with great Joy beckons us to live and walk in the halls of His Father’s house.

“I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly”
John 10:10

Only the child-like faith of Christ can bring us to the simplicity of a life so free and unbound.

“Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus…”
Philippians 2:5

Brian Troxel

FREEDOM

Freedom

“Freely you have received, freely give…”

The true art of life is generosity. To give freely of ourselves is the revelation of our Saviour. How freely, how undeservedly we have received of His great mercy. Shall not that heart transform us from the stinginess of giving things rather than ourselves? To give of our time, effort, and most importantly our heart to those around us is life. To live in the freedom of each moment is to give with no thought to our own resources or concerns. That is freedom. To seek out the true welfare of another soul at our expense is true life. Life does not consist in what one has, but in the ability to give to others what has been so freely given to us. The Body of Christ today is one of ours, mine, us and they. All of these things denote a wrong thinking, which of course produces wrong living. I hear the term “our church”, “our pastor”, and “we believe”… how it crushes the real heart of all that we have been called to. Paul called himself a “steward” of the grace of God. A steward is one who owns nothing, but simply manages the wealth of another. Truth, Life and Power are only such in the giving of them away, freely and without expectation of any return. The only Law which governs true generosity is the Law of His Love. Love is never impoverished, for of and in itself is the very treasure of God! Men who are always talking of their poverty have not touched the reality of His Love. Love is not aware of itself. It has no vested interest in its state or “feelings”. It gives because that is its very nature. It lives because that is its very nature. It defends not itself, holds on to nothing, and takes no account of its own resources. It is a life that lives in the sheer wonder of God’s Glory and resources. It is no wonder that the Eternal Son with great Joy beckons us to live and walk in the halls of His Father’s house.

In this house (not houses), the way in is freely given, the way to abide in its richness is to freely give. May we in this hour discover that we receive by giving, live by dying, overcome by loving. This is the doing, this is the living and this is the chief joy of life. As the prophet said to the impoverished woman, “what do you have…?” She replied, “I have a little oil…” To which the word of the Lord comes, “Go find empty vessels…” and the little oil flowed until all were filled! So is it with us; a little oil is sufficient for the empty vessels around us. But the oil does not multiply where it sits in faithless inactivity. It is in the giving, that we receive, it is in the pouring that its flow is known. This is the way of true enlargement in the things of our Father. The conduit is only rich because of the flow; it was never designed to hold anything. Its real purpose is to channel the wealth and life of another. No wonder that except we become as little children we cannot (will not) enter the Kingdom, for the simplicity of its expression requires a life of freedom and spontaneity.

May we in this day, in this moment grow in the wonder of this Heart and Life. As Children may we grow into His very likeness, into His very Heart, unto the Life and core of all that He is.

The tissue of the Life to be
We weave with colors all our own,
And in the field of Destiny
We reap as we have sown.

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)

B. Troxel